Brazil police seize R$230 million in drug‑trafficking and money‑laundering crackdown in São Paulo

The Special Action Group against Organized Crime (GAECO) launched Operation Torneira on 16 April, in coordination with São Paulo’s Civil and Military police. Forty‑three search warrants were executed across twelve municipalities, including São Paulo, Jundiaí, Campo Limpo Paulista, Valinhos, Cajamar and several interior cities.

Investigators targeted a nucleus of traffickers linked to the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) that operates in the Jundiaí area known as “Torneira.” The operation uncovered a money‑laundering scheme using multiple shell companies tied to a network of “orang‑ear” front men. Total financial movements attributed to the network amount to roughly R$230 million, and authorities have sought to block R$20 million from each implicated company.

Participating forces included tactical units from the 2nd, 11th and 49th Military Police Battalions, the Tobias de Aguiar Ostensive Rounds (ROTA), the São Paulo Interior Judicial Police Department‑10, and special police action battalions (1st, 9th, 10th and 11th). The coordinated raids represent a major effort to disrupt interstate drug trafficking and related financial crimes in the state.