Brazil police conduct nationwide raids against organized crime networks

The police forces of Brazil launched a series of coordinated operations targeting organized crime groups across several states. In Mato Grosso, the Civil Police executed Operation Missionários in Barra do Bugres and Várzea Grande, fulfilling ten judicial orders, arresting members of a faction responsible for multiple homicides and seizing weapons and firearms. The same police force also carried out Operation Mala Falsa in Lucas do Rio Verde, where 20 orders led to the arrest of drug traffickers and the confiscation of narcotics and a firearm.

In Goiás, Bahia and the Federal District, the Civil Police’s Operation Sem Sinal dismantled a criminal association that ran a multi‑million‑real scheme fraudulently renting heavy machinery, executing three temporary arrests and seizing assets worth up to R$ 5 million.

The Federal Police conducted Operation Balcãs, a federal crackdown on the Balkan mafia’s cocaine‑smuggling network. Twelve search warrants were executed in São Paulo, Santos and Guarujá, following the interception of a vessel carrying approximately 2.7 tonnes of cocaine in waters off Cape Verde. The Justice system also ordered the freezing of bank accounts, vehicles and properties valued at up to R$ 20 million.

Additional state actions included Operation Valquíria, which targeted a gang that employed women to transport drugs across state lines and into prisons in Mato Grosso, and Operation Conflictos in the Porto Alegre metropolitan area, resulting in five arrests linked to homicide cases. In Paranaíta, Operation Horizonte executed 40 judicial mandates, leading to 15 arrests and the seizure of weapons and drugs.

These combined efforts reflect an intensified governmental push to dismantle both local criminal factions and transnational drug trafficking networks.