The governor of Rio de Janeiro, Cláudio Castro (), minimized this Tuesday (12) the operation, which has been highlighted by the government (PT) as an example of public security action in contrast to the police action left in the Penha and Alemão complexes.
Castro’s statement was made during a ceremony in the Senate, in which the governor said that public security is Brazil’s main agenda.
Operation Hidden Carbon targeted connections between the PCC (First Command of the Capital) and the financial market and the fuel sector. It involved Gaeco, from the Public Ministry of São Paulo, , linked to the federal government, and the Military Police of São Paulo.
Public security has become the center of political debate since the police action in Rio de Janeiro. The deadliest in the country’s history, it united right-wing governors and was classified as “disastrous” and “killing” by Lula.
The PT’s political group because it focused on money laundering and caused damage to organized crime without exchanging fire.
Castro, in turn, attacked the operation this Wednesday, arguing that it only advanced one of the economic chains exploited by crime.
“It’s good that at least one of these chains [de sustentação do crime organizado] has now been investigated with Carbono Oculto. It seems like it’s Brazil’s solution, it doesn’t seem to be another one of the chains used by them. Just like the internet, just like gas, just like alternative transport, and many others that must be equally fought against. Illegal mining, illegal deforestation, all have the hand of these narco-terrorist organizations”, said the governor of Rio de Janeiro.
“I’ve been saying for almost two years that public security is Brazil’s main agenda, until a little before the opinion polls started saying that,” he declared.
Castro also made a counterpoint to another idea defended by the left, that organized crime is fueled by the lack of opportunities in poor communities. “It’s a huge amount of money spent, all communities have schools, all have sports projects, all have cultural projects,” he said.
The speeches were given in the plenary of the , where the opposition to Lula promoted an act of support for the governor, the Rio de Janeiro police and the four police officers killed in the operation.
The event was organized by the senator and president of , (PI), with the leader of the PP in the Chamber, deputy Doutor Luizinho (RJ).
The event was attended by several right-wing and centrão politicians seeking votes for Bolsonarism with the departure of the former president (PL), declared ineligible, arrested at home and convicted in the coup plot process.
Participating were the president of the party, Antonio Rueda, and the vice-president of the party, ; senators such as Efraim Filho (União Brasil-PB), Jorge Seif (PL-SC) and (União Brasil-PR); deputies such as Altineu Cortes (PL-RJ) and (Novo-RS); and the vice-governor of the Federal District, Celina Leão (PP), the governor of Goiás, (União Brasil), and the deputy and licensed Public Security Secretary of São Paulo, (PP).
The act had several speeches critical of the Lula government. One of them was Derrite, tipped to run for the Senate in 2026 and rapporteur for the anti-faction project being discussed in the Chamber.
He said that the president of the Chamber, (-PB), appointed him as rapporteur of the proposal to reconcile an anti-terrorism text with the government’s anti-faction project.
“It was difficult to find what was good about the federal government’s project”, declared Derrite.
The rapporteur also mentioned a speech in which Lula placed drug dealers as victims of users – the PT member shortly afterwards.
“Unfortunately, the President of the Republic classified traffickers as victims. It was he who spoke, it wasn’t me. And I’m even having to control myself politically here because otherwise this could even hinder the progress of the project, which could be discussed today”, declared Derrite.
