Civil Police Operation Targets Cryptocurrency Brokers, Arresting 15 People

The Rio Grande do Sul Civil Police mobilized 400 officers to carry out Operation Pegasus orders, including against cryptocurrency brokers. The action took place last Wednesday (22) against a broad criminal plan that took place in Brazil.

This was a major operation against drug trafficking in the country, which took place simultaneously in 10 states of the federation. The action was taken to comply with 502 precautions, which began with a gun and cocaine seizure in Porto Alegre, Cascata neighborhood.

RS Civil Police launch Operation Pegasus against drug trafficking
RS Civil Police launch Operation Pegasus against drug trafficking. Photo: Civil Police / Alexandre Nervo / DCS

According to investigators, the seized guns were in the possession of regional factions, which led to the operation.

“The action aims to suppress the money laundering and criminal organizations arising from the drug trade in Rio Grande do Sul and its associated state and national distributors.”

In a press conference, Deputy Adriano Nonnenmacher stated that the more than 500 precautions had to comply with “breaches of banking, tax, financial, stock exchange, telematics, search warrants, arrests, unavailability of movable, immovable and financial/movable assets on the exchange and in cryptocurrencies

Operation arrested 15 people and confiscated cash

With 58 people under investigation, the operation took officers to comply with 21 arrest warrants and 63 other search warrants. As a result, 15 people were arrested, 10 from Rio Grande do Sul and five from other states.

Some of the agents who assisted in the search were from the MOSAICO project, which involves the Ministry of Justice and Public Security to support the fight against organized crime. Officers from Santa Catarina, Paraná, São Paulo, Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Bahia, Rondônia, Amazonas, Military Brigade (Prisons) and Susepe also participated.

The investigations began in 2021 and during this period the factions investigated have moved 348 million reais. The Rio Grande do Sul Civil Police points out that two factions from Rio Grande do Sul were involved in a major operation in São Paulo to commit crimes, including money laundering.

“In addition to the unavailability of assets in national currencies and dollars, exchanges/brokers with cryptocurrencies of the targets were identified and have asset blocks in place today [22]†

Operation Pegasus Targeted Cryptocurrency Exchanges to Fulfill Warrants

Following the investigations, PCRS discovered that, among several other goods to launder money, the group was using cryptocurrency brokerage firms in Brazil.

During the operation, 41 accounts of these companies were blocked at the request of the judiciary, as were the amounts deposited therein. In the criminal action, the investigation believes that Paulistas and Gauchos moved values ​​on large platforms.

At the same time, money changers in the south of the state were still sending credits to a major cryptocurrency exchange, which today also receives credits from São Paulo inmates, creating a vicious cycle of sham/cloaking in the national financial system… sorts, or exchanges them for dollars, which they return to drug traffickers from Rio Grande do Sul, and also transfer values ​​to cryptocurrency exchanges, where São Paulo centers transact with them again, in a vicious and millionaire circle.

In addition to using several cryptocurrency exchanges, whose names were not revealed by the investigation at this time, the group used several traditional and digital banks to move funds. Investments in the stock market are also popular in research.

This operation was linked to two other operations that were already investigating criminal behavior in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. According to a PCRS deputy, 100 million reais from criminal activities have already been seized between 2019 and 2022.

Source: Live Coins

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