An operation by the Bahia Civil Police arrested 46 people this Thursday (11) in six states, including a military police captain. Mauro Grunfeld was arrested at his home in the Graça neighborhood of Salvador. He is under investigation for his participation in a system of supplying weapons to criminal factions and linked to drug trafficking and money laundering.
Captain Grunfeld was previously arrested in May and July 2024, but was free. THE Leaf was unable to contact his defense until the publication of this report.
In a statement, the Prime Minister said that the Department of Internal Affairs complied with the order because it understood the need to further investigate the police officer’s possible involvement in the crimes and reiterated that it maintained its commitment to legality and institutional discipline.
More than 20 suspects were arrested in the capital of Bahia, in Feira de Santana, Lauro de Freitas, Camaçari, Porto Seguro and Eunápolis. Arrests also took place in Sergipe, Pernambuco, Espírito Santo and São Paulo.
The action coordinated by the Deic (Specialized Criminal Investigation Department) aimed to reach the chain of command of a group identified as responsible for multi-million dollar movements and crimes such as homicides, territorial conflicts and interstate trafficking. The court ordered the blocking of 100 million reais linked to those under investigation.
According to investigators, the criminal scheme used small businesses and shell companies to hide the origin of the illicit money, in addition to using the money, especially from beneficiaries of social programs that generated up to 2 million reais.
Delegate Thomas Galdino, director of the department, said some of the suspects arrested in São Paulo admitted they would transport drugs to Paris, France, indicating a possible link between the group and international trafficking.
During the execution of the arrest warrants, the teams discovered two drug laboratories, one in Porto Seguro and the other in the Stella Maris neighborhood, in Salvador. Agents also seized two rifles, ammunition, computers, accounting documents, machines used to prepare drugs and different types of narcotics.
In addition, 30 cell phones were seized; more than R$35,000 in cash; three vehicles and three motorcycles; and gold jewelry. All collected documents will be reviewed for inclusion in investigations.
The operation was supported by the intelligence sectors of the Public Security Secretariat, the Technical Police Department, the Military Police, the Federal Police and the Prison Administration Secretariat.
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