Police officer Rafael Schult faces dual investigations

Civil police officer Rafael Juergen Schult, currently under investigation for his suspected involvement in the kidnapping of an alleged drug trafficker in eastern São Paulo, is facing a prior inquiry by the Civil Police Internal Affairs department.

The previous investigation concerns allegations of prevarication stemming from a 2023 operation conducted by the State Department of Narcotic Repression (Denarc) in Mogi Mirim. Security footage from that operation shows Schult handling a backpack filled with large amounts of cash during a negotiation that led to the arrest of three men for suspected drug trafficking.

During testimony to Internal Affairs, Schult and other officers claimed the money was “cinematographic money” used to simulate a drug purchase to facilitate a flagrant arrest. While Schult reported the operation as a successful undercover sting involving the seizure of ten bricks of cocaine, defense lawyers for those arrested presented video evidence alleging irregularities in the approach. Following an initial analysis, Internal Affairs opened an inquiry in May to investigate Schult and officer Patrik José Nunes de Souza Filho for potential functional crimes.