Public Ministry says that group of 16 agents extorts illegal street vendors for up to R$15,000 per year
The Public Ministry of São Paulo denounced on Monday (Dec 23, 2024) a group of 16 people for forming a private militia, practicing extortion, money laundering and exploiting street vendors, many of them foreigners, in Brás, one of the main areas of popular commerce in the city. Among those reported are 5 military police officers and a civil police clerk.
According to Gaeco (Special Action Group to Combat Organized Crime of the MP), the group operated by collecting payments from illegal street vendors. One of the witnesses interviewed by prosecutors said that those accused demanded payment of R$15,000 per year and an additional R$300 per week to work at the site.
The complaint was made as part of Operation Aurora, launched on December 16th with the Military Police Internal Affairs and the Civil Police Internal Affairs. Of the 16 accused, 9 were already serving preventive detention. The court has not yet stated whether it will accept the complaint.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office reported that the investigations began after information from the PM’s Internal Affairs Department about the case. The prosecution said that the street vendors used loan sharks to pass on the money to the supposed militiamen. The collection of “debts” from “debtors” was carried out with extreme violence.
Operation Aurora had ordered the execution of 15 preventive arrest warrants, in addition to another 20 search and seizure warrants. R$145,000 were found in the home of one of those investigated. Eight companies and another 21 people had their banking and tax secrecy broken. At the time, six military police officers and one civil police officer were detained. A military police officer and a civilian remain at large.
With information from .
