A Federal Police operation against an illegal migration scheme of Brazilians to the United States affected people close to the political core of the government of Goiás. Among the targets arrested preventively is Maria Helena de Sousa Netto Costa, mother-in-law of Governor Daniel Vilela (MDB), identified by investigators as a member of one of the groups responsible for the clandestine crossing structure.
Operation Travessia was launched on Thursday (7) to execute 11 search and seizure warrants and seven preventive arrest orders in Goiás and Amapá. According to the PF, four people were arrested in Goiás territory.
According to the investigation, five criminal groups would have acted in a coordinated manner between 2018 and 2023, moving around R$240 million through the irregular sending of Brazilians to the USA. The group attributed to Maria Helena alone would have generated approximately R$45 million, according to information released by TV Anhanguera.
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The Federal Police states that the organizations offered a complete clandestine movement operation, organizing everything from leaving Brazil by plane to crossing the American border by land.
Investigators describe a route that passed mainly through Central American countries, especially Mexico and Panama, before irregular entry into North American territory.
Hundreds of Brazilians taken to the USA
According to the PF, at least 477 Brazilians managed to enter the United States illegally with the support of the groups being investigated. The researchers estimate, however, that the total number of people transported could exceed 600.
The suspects are being investigated for promoting illegal migration, criminal organization and money laundering.
The investigation shows that the groups operated in a structured manner, with division of functions, international logistics and financial movements compatible with a permanent activity of sending migrants.
Approach in Congonhas
The PF states that Maria Helena began to be monitored in 2022, after a group of migrants was intercepted at Congonhas airport, in São Paulo. During the testimonies, her name would have been mentioned by the travelers.
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In a statement, Maria Helena’s defense classified preventive detention as unnecessary and stated that they are awaiting full access to the process to technically analyze the investigation.
Governor Daniel Vilela and his wife, Iara Netto Vilela, are not investigated nor appear to be targets of the operation, according to the Federal Police.
Million dollar business
The operation takes place amid the growth of clandestine migration networks aimed at the United States, driven by increased migratory restrictions and the work of groups specializing in routes through Central America.
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In recent years, Brazilian and American authorities have intensified monitoring of these organizations, which began to move large financial volumes offering complete crossing packages, often associated with document forgery, money laundering and transnational operations.
For the PF, the case investigated in Goiás highlights the professionalization of this illegal market, which stopped operating only with isolated middlemen and started to operate with structures similar to those of business organizations.
