Brazil Federal Police arrests Rodrigo Bacellar and pastor Marcio Poncio in anti‑mafia probe

On July 2, Brazil's Federal Police launched the fifth phase of Operation Unha e Carne, arresting former Rio Legislative Assembly president Rodrigo Bacellar and pastor‑entrepreneur Marcio Poncio. Both are alleged participants in a money‑laundering scheme linked to the illegal "jogo do bicho" lottery and a cigarette‑smuggling network known as the "mafia do cigarro".

Investigators say Bacellar, identified in spreadsheets from bicheiro Adilsinho, received illicit payments and may have leaked confidential information about operations against the Red Command (Comando Vermelho). Poncio, dubbed the "pastor of cigarettes," is suspected of facilitating the same scheme. Both were taken into custody in Rio de Janeiro; Bacellar will be transferred to a maximum‑security federal prison and Poncio was detained in an apart‑hotel. The operation also seized about 22 million reais in assets and continues to probe connections to Senator Flávio Bolsonaro’s political circle.