The Brazilian Federal Revenue Service, in partnership with the Federal Police, launched Operation Sicarius to dismantle a criminal organization involved in money laundering from smuggling along the Paraguay-Brazil border. The investigation revealed that the group operated mainly in the city of Guaíra, Paraná state, engaging in cigarette and agrochemical smuggling.
During the investigation, a money changer was identified who allegedly moved more than 375 million reais between 2019 and 2024, using bank accounts under the names of front men and shell companies. In his personal accounts alone, the money changer reportedly moved about 114 million reais during this period. He is considered a key figure in the organization’s money laundering operations.
The investigations began after the arrest of group members caught in the act, mainly during the transport of smuggled cigarettes from Paraguay. The Brazilian judiciary issued 120 court orders, including 62 search and seizure warrants, 44 preventive detention orders, and 14 temporary detention orders, executed across the states of Paraná, São Paulo, Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul, Mato Grosso do Sul, Goiás, and Pará, as ordered by the 1st Federal Court of Guaíra.
In addition to arrests and seizures, tax actions were carried out against companies that received funds from the investigated money changer, as well as the freezing of accounts belonging to individuals and legal entities involved in the fraudulent schemes. The operation strengthens efforts to combat the intense flow of smuggling and money laundering in the Paraguay-Brazil border region.