In 20 years, the First Capital Command (PCC) has grown from 5,000 to around 40,000 members, becoming a true mafia operating in 28 countries and generating more than $1 billion annually through international drug trafficking. Former police chief Ruy Ferraz Fontes, assassinated on 15 September in Praia Grande, had been one of the key figures behind the arrest of Marcos Willians Herbas Camacho, known as Marcola, the PCC’s historic leader. Prosecutors and investigators stress that the lack of state control, especially in the prison system, allowed the PCC to expand and infiltrate the legal economy. While the São Paulo government highlights its recent security and intelligence operations and investments, the Public Prosecutor’s Office underlines the historical responsibility of authorities in the rise of the criminal organization.
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20/09/2025 – On Saturday night (20/09), Military Police arrested in Vila Curuçá, East Zone, the man wanted for stabbing to death his ex-girlfriend, on 6 April 2023. The victim had filed two police reports against him for threats, domestic violence, and harassment, the last one just two days before her murder. Despite a protective measure being granted, the suspect continued to stalk her, and the case was recorded as feminicide.
23/09/2025 – On Tuesday (23/09), the president of the Império de Casa Verde samba school and vice-president of the São Paulo Carnival League was arrested in an operation against international drug trafficking and money laundering. Conducted by FICCO-SP, the action executed 22 arrest warrants and 40 searches in five states, including the samba school’s headquarters. The investigation began after 458 kg of cocaine were seized in 2021 in Barcarena (PA) bound for Rotterdam, uncovering a scheme using fictitious companies and legal businesses to launder money, with assets frozen up to R$ 291.5 million.
23/09/2025 – On Tuesday (23/09), the São Paulo Civil Police launched an operation against a group suspected of diverting over R$146 million through fraudulent PIX transactions. The main target, an entrepreneur and influencer, had his arrest ordered but remains at large, while two other suspects were arrested. The “Dubai Operation” executed search and seizure warrants at luxury addresses in the capital, and investigations revealed that the scheme involved hundreds of transfers carried out in just a few hours.
23/09/2025 – On Tuesday (23/09), the Military Police killed in Vila Curuçá, East Zone, a member of the “Bonde dos 14”, a PCC cell that once included the then Civil Police chief in a death list. Fugitive since 2022 after not returning from temporary leave, he was serving a homicide sentence and had an extensive criminal record. According to the police, he shot at the agents during the approach and was killed on the spot. Investigations indicate he acted as a disciplinary leader of the PCC in the region, overseeing members at liberty.
24/09/2025 – On Wednesday (24/09), the director of São Paulo’s Demacro, Luiz Carlos do Carmo, was targeted in an attempted robbery on Rua Padre de Carvalho in Pinheiros, West Zone. Accompanied by another delegate, he reacted and fired at the assailant, who, though wounded, managed to escape on a motorcycle, leaving his weapon behind. Civil Police units, including Garra, were mobilized at the scene, and investigations are underway to identify and arrest the suspect.
25/09/2025 – On Thursday (25/09), the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Federal Revenue Service launched an operation against the PCC, which launders money through gas stations, hotels, and motels in São Paulo. Authorities executed 25 warrants in a scheme linked to illegal gambling and adulterated fuel, which began in Santos. The investigations are also connected to Operation Hidden Carbon, which uncovered R$17.7 billion in suspicious transactions by BK Bank and the gang’s attempt to control part of the fuel supply chain.
26/09/2025 – On Friday (26/09), São Paulo Civil Police carried out an operation against organized crime linked to burglaries of residences and mansions, serving six search warrants and one of two arrest warrants in communities in the city’s West Zone and in the state’s interior. Over 80 officers took part, resulting in the arrest of one suspect tied to the Itapetininga gang, while another remains at large; a third man was detained for questioning. Cell phones were seized for analysis. Authorities clarified the action focused on home robbery cases, though a separate task force continues to investigate the 15 September ambush killing of former police chief Ruy Ferraz Fontes in Praia Grande, where four suspects have already been arrested and four others are still wanted.
