An operation to dismantle a criminal organization responsible for a million-dollar betting scheme onlinefraud and money launderingcalled Banca Suja, was held this Thursday (16), in Duque de Caxias and Belford Roxo, in Baixada Fluminense, and in the municipality of Rio de Janeiro. The group generated more than R$130 million in three years. The action determined the blocking of R$65 million in bank accounts and the seizure of R$2.2 million in assets, including eight cars.
According to the Civil Police, one of the strategies adopted was “follow the money”, to attack the economic foundations of criminal organizations.
“By following the money and attacking financial flows, the Civil Police goes beyond direct repression and weakens the economic structures that support criminal networks. This corrects imbalances and protects companies that operate legally”, explained the Secretary of Civil Police, Delegate Felipe Curi.
The investigations identified links between the group and the cigarette mafiabased in Duque de Caxias. It was also identified that companies that sell cigarette filters received suspicious transfers from legal entities linked to the main core of the criminal organization. According to the police, the scheme demonstrates a high level of interstate and national coordination, unusual in the state.
“Actions like this, which result in the blocking of tens of millions of reais, play a fundamental role: the money recovered can be used in favor of the Civil Police itself, strengthening the fight against organized crime and weakening the factions”, assesses the director of the General Department for Combating Corruption, Organized Crime and Money Laundering, delegate Henrique Damasceno.
The investigations showed that the group used shell companies, fractional transactions and simulated operations to mask the illicit origin of the values. In addition to financial crimes, there is evidence of involvement of those investigated in homicides of enemies and competitors, as a way of maintaining control over illegal territories and businesses.
“We identified companies that moved millions in a few months, with the aim of giving the appearance of legality to criminal resources. This distortion harms the legitimate market and distorts competition”, explained delegate Renan Mello, from the Police Department for Combating Criminal Organizations and Money Laundering.
