Operation Red Fox targets a group from Rio that generated R$150 million from the sale of weapons and drugs
The PF (and the (Special Action Group to Combat Organized Crime of the Federal Public Ministry) arrested 4 financial operators from a criminal organization in Rio de Janeiro. Operation Red Fox took place on June 20 and 21, 2026 and included simultaneous actions in Brazil and Suriname.
The operation targeted the transnational financial and logistical structure of the group, which was being investigated for laundering money and financing the purchase of restricted-use firearms and drugs from abroad. The resources were intended to supply the organization in Rio de Janeiro and other states.
Two of the targets were captured in Suriname with the support of the DNV (Directorate of National Security) and the JIT (Judicial Intervention Team), local authorities who detained a man and a woman. Both were later deported to Brazil and arrested in Belém, Pará.
The man is being investigated as a financial operator operating in the border region. He would have moved more than R$150 million during the period investigated, according to the PF, with transfers linked to the purchase of weapons. The woman is appointed as a logistics and financial operator; investigations recorded her movements to Suriname in periods compatible with suspicious movements of resources.
The other 2 prisoners were in national territory. One was arrested in Rio de Janeiro, suspected of using personal and business accounts to spread illicit funds and make payments to suppliers. The other was arrested in Tabatinga, in Amazonas, a triple border region between Brazil, Colombia and Peru. He was responsible for a company used in the organization’s financial flow in the Amazon region, focusing on payments linked to the transnational logistics of drugs and weapons.
Blocking of almost R$500 million
The 5th Federal Criminal Court of Rio de Janeiro accepted the operation’s measures. These include preventive arrest warrants, freezing of assets, kidnapping and unavailability of assets, rights and values, in addition to the suspension of the activities of legal entities identified as shell companies or group accounts.
In terms of assets, the Federal Court authorized blockades up to a limit of almost R$500 million. The objective is to achieve the organization’s economic capacity, prevent the dissipation of assets and stop the financing of illicit activities.
Investigations showed that the group used shell companies, interposed people, fractional deposits, transfers via Pix and pass-through accounts to hide the origin of the funds. The movements were incompatible with the economic capacity of those involved and were used to pay national and foreign suppliers.
The PF and Gaeco/MPF reported that investigations continue, with a focus on locating other fugitives, deepening the financial and telematic analysis and identifying other members of the group.
