Djidja case: suspects must answer for 13 crimes, says police

The second phase of Operation Mandrágora, which began last Friday (7), in Manaus, capital of Amazonas, arrested 5 more people involved in the irregular distribution of Ketamine, totaling 10 prisoners. Since the beginning of the operation, triggered by the death of former little lady Djidja Cardoso, the state’s Civil Police have been carrying out warrants in an attempt to put an end to the gang.

According to the delegate responsible for the investigation, Cícero Túlio, work is in the process of proving all crimes but, preliminarily, the suspects will be charged with 13 crimes. In a press conference this Monday (10), Cícero also highlights that the investigation is looking for other people who have links to companies that supply the drug.

All people arrested in the first and second phase of the operation have already been subject to a custody hearing, and are now available to the courts for interrogation, concluded the delegate.

Other phases of the Operation

First phase

Ademar Farias Cardoso Neto, 29 years old, Djidja’s brother, arrested in the 1st phase, had contact with Ketamine during a trip to London. Upon returning to Manaus, he met a couple who introduced him to the medicine in powder form.

“From then on, he and his family began to do a kind of experimentation to discover what would be the best way to use it, aiming to yield more applications and consumption. This is how they arrived at the form of subcutaneous application, which allows the medication to be injected directly into the tissue below the superficial layer of the skin (the dermis) and above the muscle tissue”, explained the delegate.

During the investigations, it was possible to identify that Cleusimar Cardoso, 53 years old, Djidja’s mother, in addition to using the drug, began using a book called Letters from Christ and carrying out a kind of cult, where they misinterpreted the book. From then on, they began to recruit other people, mainly employees of the family’s beauty salon who were also arrested in the operation: Verônica da Costa, Marlisson Dantas and Claudiele da Silva, employees of Djidja Cardoso.

Second level

“At one point, the Cardoso family faced difficulties purchasing the medicine. It was then that Bruno Roberto, Djidja’s ex-boyfriend, had access to Hatus Silveira, the family’s personal trainer, as he worked in bodybuilding. They saw this approach as an opportunity to make a connection between Hatus and veterinary companies to obtain ketamine more easily. In this aspect, everyone ended up joining and joining the religious sect, facilitating the Cardoso family’s access to veterinary clinics”, explained the delegate.

José Máximo Silva de Oliveira, 45 years old, owner of a veterinary clinic, and two employees there identified as Emicley Araújo Freitas Júnior and Sávio Soares Pereira were also arrested in the second phase of Operation Mandrágora.

Investigations indicate that a change had already been made to the National Classification of Economic Activities (CNAE) of the Cardoso family’s chain of beauty salons. They intended to open a veterinary clinic to facilitate access to the medicine.