Operation against smuggling carries out 120 warrants in 7 states

The Federal Police, the Internal Affairs Division of the Federal Highway Police and the Federal Revenue Service launched operations Sicarius I and Sicarius II in seven states, this Tuesday (9), with the aim of dismantling a transnational criminal organization specialized in the practice of cigarette smuggling, illegal importation of pesticides, falsification of documents and vehicle license plates, money laundering and corruption of public servants.

Businesspeople and federal highway police officers are targets of the operation, CNN Brasil found.

The judicial measures are complied with in the municipalities of Guaíra/PR, Mandirituba/PR, Piraquara/PR, Fazenda Rio Grande/PR, Cascavel/PR, Ubiratã/PR, Londrina/PR, Maringá/PR, Cianorte/PR, Umuarama/PR, Praia Grande/SP, Canelinha/SC, Imaruí/SC, Não-Me-Toque/RS, Nova Andradina/MS, Maracaju/MS, Mundo Novo/MS, Eldorado/MS, Jandaia/GO and Belém/PA.

The 1st Criminal Court of the Federal Court of Guaíra/PR issued 44 preventive arrest warrants, 14 temporary arrest warrants, 62 search and seizure warrants, 45 kidnapping and bank account blocking warrants, 5 court orders canceling CPFs, 7 court orders canceling CNPJs and 67 court orders to initiate tax administrative procedures to the detriment of companies located in the states of Paraná, Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Goiás, Alagoas and Pernambuco.

Measures aimed at international legal cooperation were also authorized, aimed at deepening investigations and identifying assets, people and criminal structures possibly located abroad.

Investigations indicate that the criminal group had a highly organized structure, with division of functions and operations in several states of the federation, using shell companies, interposed people and asset hiding mechanisms to disguise the illicit origin of resources obtained from criminal activities.

In addition to holding those involved criminally liable, the legal measures aim to interrupt the organization's financial flow, decapitalize its members and preserve assets that could be used to compensate for losses caused to the State and society.

The names of the operations refer to one of the code names used by the leader of the transnational criminal organization being investigated.

Source: CNN