The Civil Police of Pernambuco (PCPE) arrested, in a joint operation with the Civil Police of the Federal District (PCDF) and support from the Intelligence Center of the Department for the Repression of Property Crimes, the man identified as leader of an interstate criminal organization specializing in robberies of luxury watches.
The Civil Police of Pernambuco confirmed to the CNN that journalist Leo Dias was a victim of the gang, having his watch stolen in September this year, in Recife.
The arrest was made last Thursday (7), in a flat in the Piedade neighborhood.
with the aim of dismantling the “Rolex Gang”.
The organization, which operates in several capitals such as Brasília, São Paulo and Recife, has an organized and itinerant structure.
According to the Pernambuco Civil Police, the gang relies on scouts to identify victims in upscale areas and perpetrators who, using motorcycles with altered license plates, carry out quick and violent robberies.
During the arrest of the gang leader, four Rolex watches were found, valued at around R$150,000 each, in addition to a motorcycle used in the criminal actions.
The operation, led by delegates Cláudio Castro and João Paulo, involved the execution of eight preventive arrest warrants and eight search and seizure warrants in Pernambuco, São Paulo and the Federal District.
The arrest occurred after the arrest warrant was issued by the Court of Justice of the Federal District and Territories (TJDFT). The arrested man, aged 35 and born in Taboão da Serra (SP), has a criminal record in the states of Paraná and Santa Catarina.
Focusing on areas of high purchasing power, the “Rolex Gang” has branches in several Brazilian capitals and a reception network that makes it difficult to recover stolen goods. According to the Civil Police, the stolen watches are quickly sent to receivers, with some international connections.
