New York: A Brazilian drug dealer who tried to escape prison dressed as his daughter has been found dead in his cell.

A man identified as jailed Brazilian drug trafficker Clauvino da Silva wearing a mask and feminine clothing, as his hands are confined behind his back at a prison complex in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Credit:AP

Clauvino da Silva, a 42-year-old leader of one of the most powerful criminal groups in Brazil, Comando Vermelho, was stopped by guards at the prison in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday. He was dressed in a silicon mask, a dark long-haired wig, tight jeans and a pink T-shirt - trying to pass off as his 19-year-old daughter, who had come to visit him.

Video footage of Silva removing his disguise went viral.

On Tuesday, prison authorities announced that the trafficker, who had been sentenced to 73 years behind bars, had been found dead in his cell.