Rio de Janeiro probes link Bolsonaro allies to money‑laundering and fraud

Federal Police carried out 19 search and seizure warrants in Rio de Janeiro, Niterói, São Gonçalo, Itaboraí and Resende as part of Operation Unha e Carne, aimed at dismantling a network that allegedly used fuel stations to launder more than R$ 7.6 billion over six years. The investigation targets Márcio Canella, former mayor of Belford Roxo and nominee of Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, former civil‑police chief Marcus Amim, and other figures such as Pablo Jukia Felix Ferreira (known as Pablo Russo) who is accused of operating gas‑station fronts.

A separate inquiry, Operation Ouroboros, conducted by the Rio de Janeiro Public Ministry, focuses on an alleged diversion of R$ 86.28 million from the Institute Rio Metrópole (IRM). Mauricio Silva Knoploch dos Santos, father of state deputy Alexandre Knoploch – a close ally of the Bolsonaro clan – was declared a fugitive. The operation has resulted in the arrest of several IRM officials and is linked to suspected corruption during the administration of former governor Cláudio Castro, who is also associated with Flávio Bolsonaro.