Six military police officers linked to Ronnie Lessa, a man appointed by the Public Ministry as responsible for the murders of councilor Marielle Franco and her driver Anderson Gomes, are the targets of an operation in Rio de Janeiro this Thursday (7th).
The action was launched by the Civil Police of Rio de Janeiro with the support of the Military Police Internal Affairs and aims to fulfill 21 search and seizure warrants.
According to a note from the Civil Police of Rio, “this action is an offshoot of the investigation that investigates the death of councilor Marielle and her driver Anderson”.
The alleged crimes committed by this group were discovered by investigators during the investigation into the murders, resulting, in March 2019, in Lessa’s arrest, one year after the murders of the councilor and her driver.
According to the investigations, these six PMs, who were not involved in the deaths of Marielle and Anderson, would participate like Lessa in a scheme to buy and sell weapons, slot machines and drugs. In one of the addresses, target of the operation, money and weapons were seized. About 100 police officers participate in the action.
THE CNN, Ronnie Lessa’s defense, upon becoming aware of the operation, informed that it will not manifest itself and cannot speak for the police officers targeted by the operation. “Considering that, we have nothing to say”.
Lessa remains in prison at the Maximum Security Federal Penitentiary in Campo Grande, in Mato Grosso do Sul. In addition to being suspected of killing the parliamentarian, the retired PM is also the target of an investigation by the Federal Police and the Federal Public Ministry for international arms trafficking.
In a recent investigation by the PF of Rio, which triggered the Heat operation, Lessa was identified with a man who bought weapons in the United States. The material arrived in Brazil through containers and was later distributed to drug dealers and militiamen.
Also according to Federal Police investigations, the money for the purchase of these weapons was made through money changers. Operation Heat, launched on March 15 this year, arrested other suspects of being part of the reformed PM’s scheme, and enforced the arrest warrant against Lessa himself inside the prison.
Source: CNN Brasil
