The investigation that led to the discovery of a secret rifle and pistol factory in the interior of São Paulo showed that to maintain production activity, the gang did not rely solely on precision machinery.
What support for the scheme, according to an investigation by the Federal Police (PF), he obtained CapitalsIt was an organized system of tracking suppression, carried out through a silent organization, starting with the periodic exchange of mobile phones and ending with the deliberate concealment of weapon parts during transportation.
The police report shows that the people investigated – whose clients included the criminal faction Comando Vermelho, from Rio de Janeiro – varied not only in the devices used, but also in the form of communication, alternating between apps, prepaid numbers and messages sent by intermediaries. This reduced the possibility that a single breach of confidentiality could put the entire structure at risk.
8 photos
Conditional closure.
1 of 8
Weapon parts were designed and manufactured in secret
ON/PF2 of 8
The weapons were assembled in the basement inside the SP
ON/PF3 of 8
Through joint action between the National Front and the Prime Minister, dozens of rifles were seized
ON/PF4 of 8
Weapons were traded with criminals
ON/PF5 of 8
One of the group’s supposed agents is Comando Vermelho
ON/PF6 of 8
The suspects with technical training worked for a gang
ON/PF7 of 8
The factory owner is among those investigated
ON/PF8 of 8Art Alfredo Henrique / Metropolis
A federal police officer, identified in the investigation as responsible for the meta-analysis of the case, stated that the flows were created to be temporary.
“They changed chips at an extraordinary pace, making it difficult to identify patterns and requiring constant monitoring to establish links between conversations,” he added.
Fragmented codes and instructions
The way criminals communicate also caught the attention of the federal police. Investigations showed that the gang used ambiguous phrases, indirect signals, and instructions given in stages. Police officers who analyzed the messages stated in the report that those involved used codes that were rudimentary, but effective enough to indicate what needed to be transferred or produced – without explicitly indicating weapon parts, customer names or delivery locations.
In more than one section, the operation records messages talking about “the small item,” “the ordinary item,” “the lottery from the young man from the other country,” or “these four.” For investigators, these codes fit into the context of the specific production chain at the secret factory.
Split payments
Investigators also identified financial movements consistent with attempts to conceal income and payments. The amounts were divided into several smaller deposits, often made at ATMs or through third parties, to avoid high-value transfers that could trigger oversight mechanisms.
Bank analysis shows that part of the funds circulate through accounts that were recently opened or are owned by people who have no clear relationship with the production core.
10 photos
Conditional closure.1 out of 10
The projects were later implemented in a factory within the city of São Paulo
Reproduction/PF2 of 10
The weapons are designed in 3D
Reproduction/PF3 of 10
Weapons were assembled inside the SP
Reproduction/PF4 of 10Reproduction/PF5 out of 10
Weapons were transferred to factions in Rio and the northeast
Reproduction/PF6 of 10
The parts were manufactured using factory machines that were supposed to produce aviation parts
Reproduction/PF7 of 10
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
Production without records
In addition to fragmented communications and scattered funding, the process points to practices of concealment within the factory itself. Defective parts were disposed of without records and there were also no spreadsheets, drafts or any internal document indicating the quantity produced, rejected or sent.
The São Paulo Public Ministry (MPSP) stressed that the “complete absence of production records” indicates “the intention to obstruct any final audit or reconstruction of the stages of the process.”
Read also
-
Sao Paulo
CV Rifles: The interface factory at SP has engineers and designers
-
Sao Paulo
The metallurgy team at CV designed and manufactured the gun parts at SP
-
Sao Paulo
The SP’s “military assembly line” consisted of up to 10 rifles per day for the CV
-
Sao Paulo
“Technical mules” ran the gun track from a factory contracted by CV
The path is recreated with each transmission
The routes used by the transporters also followed the logic of leaving no marks. Movement varies weekly, although it always includes the same group of cities in the interior of São Paulo. In some cases, when the delivery is complete, the next route changes the intermediate points or times, making it difficult to replicate the patterns.
The PF report, referring to the gang’s movements, said that drivers deliberately adjusted timetables and routes, as if trying to avoid creating a routine.
Sustainable scheme by erasure
The police investigation suggests that the gang was only able to maintain underground production because it combined industrial structure, decentralized logistics and the systematic suppression of antiquities. Advanced machinery produced the parts. They were moved by technical mules. The scanning device prevents the activity from leaving detectable marks.
For investigators, it is precisely this combination that distinguishes the case in the interior of São Paulo from other seizures that have already been made: it was not just about manufacturing weapons, it was about creating conditions such that production could not be traced.
According to one of the reports signed by the federal delegate who coordinated the efforts, and who is responsible for supervising the process from the initial stage, the structure operates in a professional manner, with division of tasks and clear procedures aimed at reducing participants’ exposure to a minimum, “which indicates awareness of the risks and previous experience in this type of activity.”