RIO DE JANEIRO (AFP) - A Brazilian drug trafficker, who had attempted to escape from prison disguised as his teenage daughter, was found dead in his cell on Tuesday (Aug 6), officials said.

Clauvino da Silva, nicknamed "Shorty" or "Bajito" in Portuguese, made headlines after he was caught Saturday trying to walk out the front door of a Rio de Janeiro jail.

Da Silva, 42, wore a silicon mask, long dark wig, glasses, white flip flops and the clothes, including pink T-shirt, blue denim jeans and black bra, belonging to his 19-year-old daughter, who was visiting him.

She had planned to stay behind while he made his getaway. Da Silva was serving a 73-year jail sentence.

His daughter and seven other visitors were detained over the foiled breakout.

A video released by the state prisons administration department shows da Silva stripping off his elaborate disguise in front of officials.

Three days after his failed escape, da Silva, a senior member of the Red Command, one of Brazil's main crime groups, was found dead in his cell in a maximum security prison.

Preso é pego tentando fugir disfarçado de mulher. Leia a notícia completa em: https://t.co/TwwrvYgfZf pic.twitter.com/x1XivRqshm — Jornal O Dia (@jornalodia) August 3, 2019

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Officials said he appeared to have hanged himself with a bed sheet.

An investigation has been launched into his death.

Experts estimate hundreds of prisoners are killed in Brazilian prisons every year, mostly in confrontations between rival gangs battling for control of one of the world's most important cocaine markets and trafficking routes.