 They asked for his journalist credentials, which Lopes did not carry when working undercover.Lopes was subsequently beaten at the scene.Using a Nextel radio, the traffickers called the head drug lord, Elias Pereira da Silva, known by his nickname, Elias "Maluco" (meaning Crazy Elias or Madman Elias), at the faction's headquarters at the favela da Grota within the Complexo do Alemão for instructions.