Operation Anansi, launched this Wednesday (10/12) by the Federal Police (PF) in partnership with the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office, did not only affect the international cocaine route exploited by Brazilian fishermen. She reached the financial core of the criminal organization, dismantling a money laundering scheme that moved around 50 million reais through identified accounts and assets, part of the billion reais in revenue generated by trafficking in four to five years of activity.
The group’s strategy, according to investigations, combined legitimate businesses, shell companies, “scams” and the purchase of high-value assets to turn crime money into seemingly legal wealth.
Facades and oranges
Owning a regular establishment, such as a fish market, facilitated the mixing of illicit capital and income from legal activities, thereby allowing trafficking money to be incorporated into the common financial movement of the business.
Additionally, members of the organization used third parties to register their assets, thereby preventing ownership of the assets from pointing directly to the international route operators.
The seizures made during the operation illustrate the standard of living ensured by the benefits of the system. Among the confiscated items are luxury vehicles, such as a Porsche seized in Goiânia, as well as valuable tractors and machinery.
The working group
The operation resulted in 22 search and seizure warrants and 10 preventive arrest warrants, including the capture of three Brazilians on the Interpol red list.
For investigators, analysis of the cell phones of the key people involved will be key to tracking financial transactions, identifying the chain of oranges used and detailing the true scope of the scheme.
The blocking of approximately 50 million reais and the seizure of assets considered high level have a direct effect on the dismantling of the criminal structure.
How the program worked
The criminal organization’s operating model consisted of three main stages: capture, transportation and laundering.
First, foreign traffickers identified Brazilian fishermen and shipowners willing to participate in the program.
After recruitment, the boats were adapted with hidden compartments, enlarged tanks and reinforced navigation systems.
The cocaine left specific points on the Brazilian coast and followed maritime routes to Europe, guided by coordinates sent in real time.
In some cases, support ships were called in to refuel tankers on the high seas, ensuring the crossing was completed without port calls that might attract attention.
Once the drugs were delivered and sent back to Brazil, the stage of hiding the profits began.
The money received by fishermen and shipowners, in euros, reais or cryptocurrencies, was quickly distributed between bank accounts, front companies and “oranges”.
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