Police say Deolane opened 35 shell companies
Influencer Deolane Bezerra was arrested this Thursday morning (21) during Operation Vérnix, triggered after investigations pointed to a possible link between her and the PCC (Primeiro Comando da Capital).
According to the police, Deolane had opened around 35 shell companies at the same address to launder money linked to the criminal organization.
According to reporter Stêvão Limana, on Backstage CNN, the influencer would be responsible for giving the appearance of legality to illicit money, integrating the resources into the formal economy through her own accounts and companies.
The investigation revealed that the proximity between those involved in the operation was close: "They had personal meetings. Deolane and Paloma Sanches Camacho, Marcola's niece, lived in nearby houses, in the same neighborhood. In other words, they had close ties to facilitate this entire criminal scheme", highlighted Limana.
In police records, Deolane appears as the legal representative or witness of Everton de Souza, identified as a financial operator and known by the nickname "player". This individual would be responsible for directing deposits made into the influencer's accounts.
One of the main signs of Deolane's involvement was the content extracted from her cell phone during a previous investigation. Since that initial operation, the influencer has already appeared in investigations into money laundering.
Daniele Bezerra, lawyer and sister of the influencer, published a note on social media stating that the new arrest represents "a persecution" against Deolane.
This is the second time that the influencer has been arrested. The first occurred in 2024, when she was preventively detained in Recife during an operation investigating a money laundering and illegal gambling scheme.
In addition to Deolane, this Thursday's operation also targeted Marcola and his family, who are imprisoned in a federal penitentiary, as well as the criminal's brother and two other nephews. The influencer was taken to the Police Palace, in São Paulo, where she arrived under escort and provided clarifications to the authorities.
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
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Source: CNN