A drugs baron who used plastic surgery to change his face and evade capture for nearly three decades has at last been held by Brazilian police.

Luiz Carlos da Rocha, also known as "White Head" was at the top of a cartel that police said was smuggling tonnes of cocaine each month including shipments to Europe and the US.

The crime boss was arrested in the state of Mato Grosso on Saturday and has since been sentenced to more than 50 years in prison for international drug trafficking and money laundering.

Police also seized some $10 million in illegal assets including planes,properties and luxury cars.

Police have hailed the arrest as a high-profile success as it battles to combat the drugs trade.

Spokesman Elvis Aparecido Secco said that Rocha's efforts to transform his face had made their investigation "complex and difficult."

Police say Rocha's cartel produced cocaine in Colombia, Peru and Bolivia and exported it to Europe and the United States via Brazil and Paraguay.

In Brazil alone, police estimate Rocha brought in 5 tones of cocaine per month.