The investigation that led to the dismantling of a secret arms factory in the interior of São Paulo, whose clients included the criminal faction Comando Vermelho (CV), also identified the parallel transportation network created to transport rifle and pistol parts, without attracting attention, between different cities.
If the production line was impressive for its industrial level, as the Federal Police (PF) report indicated, the logistics of the criminals showed the other side of the professionalization of the scheme, which was carried out in a secretive, partial manner and directed by rapid movements.
Case records show that the chain did not rely solely on sophisticated machinery for the machines. It also relied on people picking up and bringing back disassembled parts, dies, blocks and kits, often during the early hours of the morning. The policemen who followed the investigation described that “the factory did not stop at the borders of the warehouse, but rather continued through cars, backpacks, and selected roads.”
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Conditional closure.
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Weapons parts were designed and manufactured in secret
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The weapons were assembled in the basement inside the SP
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Through joint action between the National Front and the Prime Minister, dozens of rifles were seized
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Weapons were traded with criminals
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One of the group’s supposed agents is Comando Vermelho
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The suspects with technical training worked for a gang
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The factory owner is among those investigated
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Short routes and quick exits
The intercepted messages show a small portion of the criminals’ transportation logistics. In one such message, one operator wrote that he needed to “leave a station in Piracicaba (inside São Paulo) before six o’clock”, while another advised that “small items go with the man from Somare (referring to another city within São Paulo)”.
And the methods, as revealed from the investigation he obtained Capitalsrepeated between the cities of Santa Bárbara de Oeste in São Paulo, where the plant discovered by PF is located, and Piracicaba, Limeira, Sumaré, Campinas, and Rio de Janeiro (RJ).
Police forces identified at least three unofficial drivers, who appeared in conversations under pseudonyms. One investigator described that these collaborators were “tech mules” because they knew exactly what they were carrying. They were also instructed to place the pieces so that they would not be noticed by potential police.
Early morning and split delivery
According to reports, movements almost always occur between 11pm and 5am, a period when there is less traffic on the roads and there is less opportunity for overt patrolling. Larger parts – such as screw boxes, pistons and tubes – were sent disassembled and divided into smaller batches.
In one of the letters returned by forensics, one of those investigated advises: “Just take the four today. I will send the rest tomorrow with the other man.” This division, as defined by police forces, prevented a single flight from carrying enough material to identify the complete set of the weapon.
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“transportation plan”
The discovery of the transfer plan by the National Front was not immediate. At the beginning of the investigation, agents focused on the metal structure in which weapon parts were produced. But crossing geolocation data, images from urban cameras, messages with dates and times, supply data, as well as inconsistent movements, police forces realized that there was a constant movement of gang members between cities.
“The recorded movements indicate intentional movement of robotic parts, which is not consistent with personal visits or common routine,” highlights an excerpt from the investigation report.
A police officer heard during the operation summarized that the gang was operating through “corporate logistics, for weapons only”, and organizing itself through “schedules, stock, deliveries and returns”.
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Conditional closure.1 out of 10
The projects were later implemented in a factory within the city of São Paulo
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The weapons are designed in 3D
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Weapons were assembled inside the SP
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Weapons were transferred to factions in Rio and the northeast
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The parts were manufactured using factory machines that were supposed to produce aviation parts
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The cost of the weapons ranges between R$8,000 and R$15,000
Reproduction/PF8 out of 10Art Alfredo Henrique / Metropolis 9 out of 10Reproducibility/PF10 out of 10Reproduction/Fn
Who made the transfer?
- Gabriel Carvalho Belchior —Factory owner in Santa Bárbara de Oeste. His trips to Somare and Piracicaba have been cited as consistent with the transfer of parts between production stages.
- Anderson Custodio Gomez – In addition to scheduling files and projects, they appear in messages arranging tool deliveries and advising where to leave certain components. He wrote in one instruction: “Leave it to the man at the back gate, he knows.”
- Gunderson Aparecido Ribeiro de Azevedo — Plant operator, appearing in shifts that coincide with the days new parts entered or left the warehouse.
- Wendell dos Santos Bastos — Payment broker, as well as coordinating shipments. One of the letters says: “Tomorrow I will come and take the core (of the gun), and I will leave the rest with him.”
Connect with buyers in Rio
The case file shows that at least one of the buyers of rifles produced in the interior of São Paulo was in Rio de Janeiro. Many messages refer to “RJ man” and shipping in phases.
One message intercepted by PF says: “This message goes to the same man at RJ, tell him it is of the same value as the last message.”
According to one report, the parts were sent disassembled on trips taken by drivers already known to the group.
Used vehicles
PF identified that those investigated frequently replaced vehicles. They used family cars, as well as rented or borrowed cars. The goal, federal agents investigated, was to avoid patterns. To do this, gun parts were hidden inside tool boxes, grocery bags, technical backpacks and measuring tool bags, as if they were legitimate industrial accessories.
The production line of the secret factory has already shown a standardized structure. But it was logistics – secret, well-planned and short routes – that allowed the gang to maintain a regular supply of inputs, constant shipments of parts and precise delivery to buyers.
The production, as one case official summed up, “was cutting-edge.” Coupled with logistics, “this kept the business alive.”
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