A mega-operation was launched by the Public Prosecutor’s Office on Tuesday morning (06/08) to dismantle organized crime in the center of the capital of São Paulo. The practices investigated include the actions of militias with public security agents, the illegal sale of weapons, the exploitation of the labor of vulnerable people, the receiving of stolen goods, and drug trafficking, among other crimes — all under the territorial control of the First Capital Command (PCC).
This Content Is Only For Subscribers
To unlock this content, subscribe to INTERLIRA Reports.
New Intervention Model
This is a new intervention model, with the participation of several public agencies, which seeks to address the complexity of a territory crisscrossed by various criminal practices and groups, but which has as its most visible face the open scenes of drug use, such as cracolândia. Led by the Special Task Force for the Repression of Organized Crime (Gaeco), of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the operation involved the Military, Federal and Federal Highway Police, as well as the Ministry of Labor and Employment (MTE), the Public Prosecutor’s Office for Labor, the Federal and State Revenue Offices, Anatel (National Telecommunications Agency) and the government’s Department of Social Welfare.
Locations Investigated
Clandestine hotels and boarding houses, scrapyards around Cracolândia, brothels, shacks in the Moinho favela, and stores selling stolen cell phones in Santa Ifigênia. According to the investigation, these addresses are rented by organized crime frontmen and serve as drug hiding places, prostitution points, and for users to consume narcotics.
They also involve the use of clandestine communication towers to capture the frequency of the São Paulo Military Police and allow criminal groups to anticipate police actions.
PCC Control
According to prosecutors, the criminal organization controls drug trafficking in Cracolândia and manages activities that support criminal activity, such as hotels and guesthouses, parking lots, scrapyards, and brothels.
Scrapyards
Investigations revealed that the owners of these establishments use drugs and alcohol to pay drug users in exchange for recyclable products. Robberies and thefts are also received at these addresses.
Involvement of Civil Guards
Prosecutors identified the involvement of at least four municipal security agents in a scheme to charge monthly fees to local merchants in exchange for ensuring that drug users stay away from the stores. A former member of the Metropolitan Civil Guard (GCM) is being investigated for illegal arms trading.
Criminals Arrested
The mega-operation resulted in ten arrests, five preventive and five in flagrante delicto — in addition to three people taken in for questioning. Among those arrested are Leonardo Monteiro Moja, known as Léo do Moinho, identified as the leader of the PCC in the central region, and Janaína Xavier, suspected of leading drug trafficking in a hotel on Alameda Barão de Piracicaba.
Analysis:
The mega-operation in São Paulo’s center, targeting the First Capital Command (PCC), marks a significant escalation in the fight against organized crime and has the potential to reshape public security in the region. By focusing on dismantling criminal networks deeply entrenched in areas like Cracolândia, the operation seeks to address the root causes of crime that have plagued the city for years. The involvement of various public agencies and the scale of the operation demonstrate a coordinated and comprehensive approach that extends beyond mere law enforcement.
The discovery of clandestine operations such as hotels, brothels, and communication towers used by the PCC to facilitate their activities underscores the complexity and reach of organized crime in São Paulo. These activities not only perpetuate drug trafficking and exploitation but also create a parallel system of control that challenges the authority of the state.
However, the involvement of municipal security agents in corrupt practices highlights a critical vulnerability within the city’s public security apparatus. This corruption undermines trust in law enforcement and complicates efforts to restore order and safety in affected areas.
In the long term, the success of this operation and similar initiatives will depend on the government’s ability to sustain pressure on criminal organizations while simultaneously addressing the socio-economic conditions that allow such groups to thrive.
