Deolane Bezerra was the wife of MC Kevin, a Brazilian musician who died in 2021 after falling from the balcony on the 5th floor of a hotel in the west zone of Rio de Janeiro
Influencer and lawyer Deolane Bezerra was arrested this Thursday morning after investigations that point to a connection to the PCC (Primeiro Comando da Capital). “Operation Vérnix” was carried out by the Civil Police of São Paulo and the MPSP (Public Ministry of São Paulo).
In addition to Deolane, the targets include Marco Herbas Camacho (Marcola), who is already in prison, a brother and two nephews of the man identified as number 1 of the faction, and one being investigated who would be the financial operator of the scheme, identified as Everton de Souza, better known as “Player”.
According to investigations, a million-dollar financial mechanism was discovered used to hide, dissimulate and reinsert into the formal economy values linked to the top leadership of the criminal organization.
Investigations
The investigation began in 2019, when the Criminal Police seized notes and manuscripts, which were with two prisoners. The contents of the materials revealed some internal dynamics of the PCC, such as the actions of imprisoned leaders and possible attacks against public agents.
As a result, the police opened three investigations, each responsible for revealing a new layer of the criminal structure being investigated.
The first investigation focused directly on the two convicts who had the tickets. The analysis of the seized material made it possible to identify references to internal orders of the faction, contacts with members of high hierarchical position and mentions of violent actions against public servants.
They were both convicted and placed in the federal penitentiary system. Among the excerpts analyzed, mention was made of a “woman from the transport company”, who had collected addresses of public agents to subsidize attacks planned by the PCC.
The second investigation sought to identify who the woman mentioned was and what the transport company’s relationship with the faction would be. The investigations led to a company based in Presidente Venceslau, later recognized in court as an instrument used by organized crime to launder money.
The investigation resulted in Operation Lado a Lado, which revealed incompatible financial transactions, asset growth without sufficient economic support and the use of the transport company as the true financial arm of the faction.
During the operation, the seizure of a cell phone opened a new front in the investigation. The content removed from the device revealed conversations with people linked to the PCC leadership, as well as evidence of financial transfers and connections with Deolane Bezerra, one of the biggest influencers in Brazil.
Deolane’s role
According to investigators, Deolane maintained close personal and business ties with one of the ghost managers of the carrier under investigation. It was from the material that “Operation Vernix” was born, the third stage of the investigation. The objective of the action was to further expose the broader money laundering scheme, with business, property and financial ramifications.
The investigations indicate that the influencer began to occupy a prominent position in the case due to significant financial movements, asset incompatibilities and signs of connection with members of the PCC command nucleus.
The surveys showed the use of legal entities, receipts of unclear origin, circulation of million-dollar amounts and acquisition or attachment to high-end assets. For researchers, public projection, formal business activity and asset movements were used as layers of apparent legality to make it difficult to identify the illicit origin of resources.
The investigation also identified the use of successive business and patrimonial structures, a mechanism that would have the purpose of making it difficult to trace the origin, circulation and destination of resources.
According to the Civil Police and the Public Ministry, the financial operations and banking transactions analyzed during the investigations did not provide sufficient legal justification.
“Operation Vernix” also has an international dimension. Three people under investigation would be outside Brazil, in countries such as Italy, Spain and Bolivia. Therefore, the Civil Police chose to include it on the Interpol Red List, through red broadcasting. The objective is to find them and take legal action against the targets.
On social media, the influencer’s lawyer and sister, Daniele Bezerra, stated that Deolane’s new arrest means persecution against the lawyer. See the note in full:
“Today, once again, they are trying to transform assumptions into truths and headlines into convictions. The arrest of Deolane Bezerra, on allegations of participation in a criminal organization, was born surrounded by lessons, narratives and persecutions that have been repeated for some time.
Accusing is easy. It’s difficult to prove.
In Brazil, unfortunately, people often first expose themselves, destroy their image and condemn themselves in public opinion… and only then seek evidence to support what was done. And that is serious.
It cannot be accepted that Justice is used as a spectacle, nor that people are treated as guilty before due legal process. Prison cannot be an instrument of pressure, marketing or social revenge.
Anyone who knows the story, the struggle and its trajectory knows that there is a huge difference between facts and narratives created to fuel attacks. We will continue to trust in the truth, in Justice and in the right to defense, because persecution continues to be persecution, even when they try to give it another name.”
