See who the main names in the history of the animal game in RJ are

The dispute for power in the streets and communities of Rio de Janeiro, over the last 40 years, brings with it different stories and conflicts between different families, who succeed to power with the passing of the baton between patrons and heirs.

In the early 1980s, the practice that had begun with visitors to the Rio de Janeiro Zoo, advanced to bars and establishments in Rio de Janeiro communities. Through its “patrons”, Jogo do Bicho became a mechanism of power and territorial dominance in the Marvelous City.

The game is told from a conglomeration of families of the criminals, who are divided into five main names: Miro Garcia, Castor de Andrade, Capitão Guimarães, José Escafura and “Anísio” Abraão.

Passage of power

The Garcia family succession passed from Miro to the eldest son, Maninho. The man nicknamed “King of Rio” was feared by criminal leaders, but he was murdered at the door of a gym in 2004. Command of the “Seu Miro” areas, in the North, Center and South of the capital, was inherited by granddaughters Shanna and Tamara Garcia. The family is considered the most influential and has already appointed several patrons of Salgueiro, one of the most traditional samba schools in Rio.

The Castor family put its name in the spotlight for leading the Mocidade Independente de Padre Miguel, and dominating several areas of the animal in the Peste Zone and in the Costa Verde region, located on the southern coast of the state. Castor’s death left a vacuum in power that culminated in disputes that, 27 years later, were never “officialized” even among criminals. Castor’s son, “natural heir”, was murdered a year after his father’s death. Castor’s son-in-law, Fernando Iggnácio took power, which was contested by Castor’s nephew, Rogério de Andrade.

The Guimarães family is seen as one that – through its patriarch – managed to implement a “logical” system of organization and hierarchy in command of the areas where the game is operated. Luiz Guimarães, son of “Capitão Guimarães” is named as a possible successor, as the command is still under the captain’s orders. Father and son are considered the most influential names in Unidos de Vila Isabel.

Among the Escafuras, the family representative and one of the most symbolic figures of the animal game, José Caruzzo, known as Piruinha, continues to lead the business according to the Public Ministry.

One of Piruinha’s sons, Haylton Carlos, was murdered in 2017 in a dispute over slot machine points. The family is identified as controlling points in the North Zone, mainly in Madureira.

The Abraão family is considered the most influential within the Beija-Flor de Nilópolis, with its patron alternating between Anísio and his son, Gabriel David, appointed as one of his father’s successors in the world of samba. The patriarch is appointed as the “owner” of the Jogo do Bicho points in Baixada Fluminense.

Who are the names in charge of the animal game in RJ

The names in charge of the crime in Rio de Janeiro involve names from the “old guard” and heirs who succeeded each other after several episodes, often bloody, that tell the story of one of the oldest practices in Rio culture. Find out who are in charge of the game in RJ.

Brother Garcia

Considered as Miro’s favorite son, the most feared criminal among the bicheiros, he was created to be his heir in the animal game. Even called the King of Rio, Maninho took over the animal game after the death of Uncle Scrooge, his godfather, inheriting part of Angelo’s business.

With a “knack for business”, Maninho followed in his father’s footsteps and served as director of Salgueiro, in the famous 1993 parade, with the song “Explode Coração”, which gave the school its title after 17 years of fasting. Famed as a heartthrob, Maninho is known for several stories and romantic relationships, even though he is married. But it was with Sabrina Garcia, with whom he had three children: Shanna, Tamara and Mirinho.

He was murdered at the door of a gym in 2004, seen as the precursor to several violent disputes for power in Rio de Janeiro.

The dispute in the Garcia family involves the conflict of versions between Bernardo Garcia and Shana Garcia. Tamara’s ex-husband presents himself as a businessman linked to the automobile and events sectors, and denies any involvement with gambling.

Former president of the Unidos de Vila Isabel samba school, Bernardo Bello came to lead the Jogo do Bicho in part of Rio de Janeiro after the death of his ex-father-in-law.

Despite not being the direct successor, since Maninho had a brother in the family, Alcebíades Paes Garcia, known as Bid, and also three children – the twins Shanna and Tamara and Mirinho – who could take on the misdemeanor, Bello, married to one of the Maninho’s daughters, Tamara Garcia, ended up winning the dispute and gained power over the animal’s game points, in a story that involves many deaths and several accusations.

In 2017, Maninho’s son, Waldomiro Paes Garcia Júnior, Mirinho, was murdered, aged 27, after being held hostage by kidnappers. Shanna Garcia accuses Bello of being the mastermind behind an attack she suffered in 2019, when she was hit by two gunshots in front of a shopping center also in Barra da Tijuca.

In 2022, Bello, on the Red Diffusion list, was arrested by Interpol in Colombia, accused of Bid’s murder. He was imprisoned for four months but obtained a habeas corpus to answer for the crimes in Brazil, free.

The reason for so many accusations, according to investigations, is the estate of 25 million reais, left by Maninho.

José Caruzzo Escafura, known as Piruinha

The almost centenarian José Caruzzo Escafura, or Piruinha, got into crime in the 1950s, when he began managing stalls in the region of Abolição, Piedade and Inhaúma, an area that exerted a lot of influence during the animal’s heyday – and where he still lives today. Before entering into the misdemeanor, Escafura was a commuter driver.

At 94 years old, Piruinha is the oldest offender still alive at the top of the carioca game. Find out who Piruinha is, one of the bosses of RJ’s animal game.

This content was originally published in See who the main names in the history of the game in RJ are on the CNN Brasil website.

Source: CNN Brasil