The Federal Police (PF) launched Operation Hybris to dismantle a criminal organization specialized in laundering money from gambling, loan sharking, extortion, qualified reception, among other criminal offenses. The group operated in Feira de Santana, in the interior of Bahia, and in neighboring cities. Five military police officers were removed from their duties.
One of the police officers was a lieutenant colonel. According to the investigation, they were part of the armed wing of the militia group, to provide security for the illicit activities carried out by the organization, in addition to hiding the ownership of assets and disguising amounts raised as a result of criminal offenses.
The action took place this Tuesday (9) and had the support of the Federal Revenue, State Public Ministry, Integrated Correctional Force and the Military Police Internal Affairs.
Around 200 federal and state police officers participated in the operation, as well as 13 Tax Auditors and Tax Analysts from the Federal Revenue Service.
A preventive arrest warrant was served, in addition to 17 search and seizure warrants. In total, approximately R$4 million were blocked from the bank accounts of those being investigated.
In addition to the suspension of the public functions of the five military police officers, there was also the suspension of economic activities of a company, in compliance with the decision issued by the Court of the 1st Criminal Court of Feira de Santana.
The action is an offshoot of the El Patrón operation, launched in December last year, in which ten preventive arrest warrants were carried out, 33 search and seizure warrants, blocking of more than R$200 million from the bank accounts of those being investigated and the kidnapping of 26 urban and rural properties, in addition to the suspension of economic activities of six companies.
In December, one of those investigated benefited from house arrest. As the investigations deepened, the Judiciary agreed to return the person being investigated to prison.
As determined by the operation, the head of the group holds privileged jurisdiction, but, since 2018, the Federal Supreme Court (STF) has understood that parliamentarians will be prosecuted and judged by the first degree justice when crimes are committed before the diplomacy of the position and disconnected from it.
If convicted of the crimes committed, those investigated can face maximum sentences that, combined, can exceed 50 years in prison.
Source: CNN Brasil
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