"Justice will be done": Deolane speaks for the first time after being arrested

Lawyer and influencer Deolane Bezerra spoke for the first time this Thursday afternoon (21), after being arrested for alleged involvement in a million-dollar money laundering scheme linked to the PCC (Primeiro Comando da Capital).

Upon leaving the Police Palace, in the Central region of São Paulo, the lawyer told journalists that "Justice will be done" in relation to the process in which she is being investigated.

Deolane will undergo a custody hearing this afternoon, at the Osasco Criminal Forum. She will then be transferred to a women's prison.

The operation that resulted in the influencer's arrest was called "Vérnix" and is conducted by the São Paulo Civil Police in conjunction with the São Paulo Public Ministry (MPSP). In addition to her, Marcos Camacho, known as Marcola, was also the subject of an arrest warrant.

What does the operation say?
Investigations conducted by the Civil Police of São Paulo, in conjunction with Gaeco (Special Action Group to Combat Organized Crime) of the MPSP (Public Ministry of São Paulo), revealed a million-dollar financial mechanism used to hide, disguise and reinsert into the formal economy values linked to the top leadership of the criminal faction PCC (First Command of the Capital).

Deolane would have close ties - personal and business - with one of the ghost managers of a transport company investigated by the authorities. The lawyer's financial structure would have been used to give the appearance of legality to the faction's illicit resources. In total, she opened 35 shell companies at the same address to launder the money.

Deolane Bezerra is arrested in an operation against the PCC in SP | CNN NEW DAY

As a result, the influencer, according to the police, began to occupy a prominent position in the case due to significant financial movements, asset incompatibilities and signs of connection with members of the PCC's core command.

One of the clues collected by investigators came from a cell phone seized from the company's owners, where proof of direct deposits were found to two Deolane accounts. The investigators point out that the transfers took place in a context of "closing accounts" for the PCC, and not as payment for legal legal services.

Other side
On social media, the influencer's lawyer and sister, Daniele Bezerra, stated that Deolane's new arrest means persecution against the lawyer. See full note:

"Today, once again, they are trying to transform assumptions into truths and headlines into convictions. The arrest of Deolane Bezerra, on allegations of participation in a criminal organization, was born surrounded by conclusions, narratives and persecutions that have been repeated for some time.

Accusing is easy. It's difficult to prove.

In Brazil, unfortunately, people often first expose themselves, destroy their image and condemn themselves in public opinion... and only then seek evidence to support what was done. And that's serious.

It cannot be accepted that Justice is used as a spectacle, nor that people are treated as guilty before due legal process. Prison cannot be an instrument of pressure, marketing or social revenge.

Anyone who knows the story, the struggle and its trajectory knows that there is a huge difference between facts and narratives created to fuel attacks. We will continue to trust in the truth, in Justice and in the right to defense, because persecution continues to be persecution, even when they try to give it another name.

In a note, Marcola's lawyer sent a statement. Read in full:

"Bruno Ferullo, Marco Willians Herbas Camacho's lawyer, has come forward to clarify the facts related to Operation Vernix, launched on the morning of this Thursday, May 21, 2026, conducted by the Special Action Group to Combat Organized Crime (GAECO) in the region of Presidente Prudente, with support from the Civil Police of the State of São Paulo. The operation falls within the scope of investigations into alleged criminal organization and money laundering, involving alleged incompatible financial transactions and business connections investigated by the Public Prosecutor's Office. It is important to contextualize that this entire investigative chain originated in July 2019, when prison officers found discarded manuscripts in the sewage tank of a cell at the Il de Presidente Venceslau Penitentiary, inhabited by two other prisoners. One of these notes mentioned 'that woman from the transport company', a reference that the police interpreted as indicating a link with a transport company in the region, Lopes Lemos Transportes Ltda. From that single mention, successive investigations unfolded that, years later, arrived at Marco's name. Compliance with precautionary measures does not imply, under any circumstances, a presumption of guilt. The investigations attribute to Marco, in theory, alleged participation in the crimes of being part of a criminal organization and money laundering - related, according to the investigation, to third-party financial transactions and an indirect link with the transport company. It is essential to make it clear that we are in the police investigation phase, which is based exclusively on 'indications and suspicions', expressions that, in law, have limited probative weight and that need to be submitted to the adversarial process before any conclusion can be reached. It is at this stage that the facts will be effectively investigated, with full exercise of broad defense. We ask the press and society to guarantee the presumption of innocence, a fundamental right of the Brazilian legal system, refraining from hasty conclusions that could harm the progress of the process and the image of those involved before any definitive judicial pronouncement."

Influencer Deolane Bezerra is arrested in an operation against the PCC in SP

Source: CNN