São Paulo civil police corruption investigations

Investigations in São Paulo have uncovered separate instances of alleged corruption and criminal activity involving civil police officers.

In one case, officer Milton Massaru Nakayama was arrested for his suspected role in a kidnapping in the Artur Alvim neighborhood. Authorities allege Nakayama supported a group led by officer Rafael Juergen Schult that used a vehicle equipped with police-style lights and sirens to commit kidnappings, extortions, and assaults. The investigation into the kidnapping of a 34-year-old man is linked to a cocaine negotiation valued at approximately R$ 1 million.

In a separate operation known as ‘Operação Merx’, the Public Prosecutor's Office and Internal Affairs dismantled a scheme involving the diversion of electronic goods. Civil police officers are accused of seizing mobile phone shipments and demanding bribes from smugglers, with some demands reaching up to 70% of the cargo's value. The operation resulted in the arrest of seven individuals, including four officers, and the freezing of assets valued at up to R$ 4 million.