The country's largest operation against organized crime involves the fuel sector and targets Faria Lima.

247 - Avenida Faria Lima, a symbol of the Brazilian financial market, was the target of a major police operation this Thursday (28). According to the newspaper The State of S. PaulThe operation, dubbed Operation Hidden Carbon, is considered the largest ever carried out in the country against the infiltration of organized crime into the formal economy.

Led by the Federal Police (PF) in partnership with the Gaeco (Special Action Group to Combat Organized Crime), as well as the Federal and State Revenue Services, the operation mobilized approximately 1.400 agents to execute 200 search and seizure warrants in ten states. The focus of the investigation is on the fuel sector, largely controlled by groups linked to the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC).

According to the report, in the Faria Lima region alone, the epicenter of the financial market in São Paulo, 42 targets were identified, including brokerage firms, investment funds, and shell companies, spread across five prominent addresses. One of the main points of the investigation is BK Bank, a payment institution investigated for suspicious transactions totaling R$ 17,7 billion. The Federal Revenue Service estimates that the scheme has caused R$ 1,4 billion in federal tax evasion, while the São Paulo state government estimates losses exceeding R$ 7,6 billion in state taxes.

Authorities indicate that the criminal network operated on several fronts: fuel adulteration, environmental crimes, tax fraud, swindling, and, above all, money laundering from drug trafficking. The objective was to dominate stages of the production and distribution of ethanol, gasoline, and diesel, using companies associated with financial operators suspected of working for Marcola, leader of the PCC.

The Gaeco (Special Action Group to Combat Organized Crime) also highlights that the group maintained "a massive scheme to conceal assets, income, and corporate positions," creating a complex network to evade audits and shield illicit funds.

According to the report, the court ordered the freezing of assets of four ethanol plants, as well as five gas station chains, totaling more than 300 units throughout Brazil. In total, the investigations target 17 fuel distributors, four freight transport companies, six refineries and formulators, as well as port terminals and two payment institutions.

Another point being investigated is the irregular importation of methanol through the Port of Paranaguá (PR). The product was diverted from its official destination and distributed clandestinely, used to adulterate gasoline and generate billions in profits for the organization.

According to investigators, the defendants expanded their businesses throughout the fuel industry supply chain thanks to illicit funds. This financial strength allowed them to increase their political power and hire influential lobbyists in Brasília.

Businessmen such as Roberto Augusto Leme da Silva, known as Beto Loco, and Mohamad Hussein Mourad, from the former Aster/Copape group, appear as leaders of one of the investigated groups. They allegedly partnered with the Refit Group (formerly Manguinhos), owned by Ricardo Magro, former lawyer for former congressman Eduardo Cunha, to strengthen their operations.

Investigations also reveal that, even after the National Petroleum Agency (ANP) revoked the licenses of Aster and Copape in 2024, those involved remained active in the sector. The group allegedly acquired sugar and ethanol plants in the interior of São Paulo and used new distributors such as Arka and Duvale to keep the network operational.

According to Gaeco, these companies showed evidence of "front men" and direct links to individuals convicted of international drug trafficking. The modus operandi suggests the formation of a cartel supplied by mills belonging to the group itself, connecting the production of ethanol and diesel to a network of gas stations controlled by those under investigation.

In a statement sent to 247, Refit denies being the target of the operation and emphasizes that the company "has no connection whatsoever with organized crime. On the contrary, the company has been denouncing for years to authorities and state police the infiltration of criminal factions in the fuel sector throughout the country, as well as the practice of adulterating fuel with methanol, a highly toxic product."

Refit also states that, in light of previous allegations, it "has been suffering threats and retaliation from criminals, including the bombing of gas stations belonging to the group to which it belongs. Refit further emphasizes that it has no corporate relationship whatsoever with Rodopetro, the target of the operation, and even less with Copape."

Operation Hidden Carbon exposed the extent of organized crime's expansion into a sector that represents 10% of Brazil's GDP, generates 1,6 million jobs, and moves around R$ 420 billion annually, according to data from the Brazilian Institute of Petroleum and Gas (IBP).