The MPSC (Ministry of State of Santa Catarina) convicted 24 people suspected of money laundering, promotion and gang involvement in Canoignas, upstate, five other municipalities of Santa Catarina and the San states. Paulo and Minas Gerais.

Operation Lockdown executed arrest, search and seizure warrants in March of this year. Photo: PC/Disclosure

The accused were victims of Operation Lockdown, launched in March of this year by the DIC (Criminal Investigation Division) of Canoñas, with the support of the Gaeco (Special Action Group to Combat Crime Organizations) of the MPSC. The complaint was published this Friday (9) and has already entered the court.

As a result, the defendants became defendants in a public criminal case. According to the police investigation, “the group laundered more than 3 million reais of drug money through ghost companies.”

Prosecutor Aline Restel Trennepol, head of the 4th prosecutor’s office in Comarca de Canoignas, notes that “the elimination of a criminal scheme that allowed the group to profit from the proceeds derived from human trafficking and other illegal activities dealt a serious blow to the financial center.” criminal organization.”

The MPSC also requested that, in the judgment, goods, items, and valuables seized during the execution of search and seizure warrants under Operation Lockdown be confiscated and become part of the Union. In addition, he asked the court for permission from the civilian and military police to temporarily use the seized cars and motorcycles.

The complaint states that “the goods have been placed in the courtyard of the 22nd Canoignas Regional Police Station since the seizure on March 22, 2023 and are therefore subject to bad weather and deterioration due to the effects of time and lack of mechanical maintenance.”

understand the operation

On March 22 this year, Gaeco in Joinville supported DIC Canoinhas in Operation Lockdown. After the start of the police investigation, the Civil Police followed the money trail, which led to other municipalities and states.

During the investigation, it turned out that the defendants used companies from outside Santa Catarina and people who helped in the sale of drugs and gave criminal acts a certain “legitimacy”.

As stated in the case file, “all of them turned out to be connected with the criminal organization in a stable and permanent way, some cooperated for several years, mainly so that the group could enjoy the huge profits received from the crimes it committed, laundering money received to a large extent from drug trafficking. drugs.”

A total of 24 arrest warrants and 57 search and seizure warrants were issued against the leaders of the criminal organization. During the action, cars, a large amount of money, drugs and weapons were seized in the house under investigation.