The Rio de Janeiro Civil Police, in conjunction with the Public Prosecutor's Office, launched a large-scale operation against a money laundering structure that moved over 100 million reais (approximately $18 million) from drug trafficking and the trade in counterfeit goods. The operation, dubbed Operation Hawala, resulted in 10 arrest warrants being served and 37 search and seizure orders executed in the states of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Minas Gerais, and Paraná, including the border city of Foz do Iguaçu.
Investigations indicate that the network acted as a financial "service provider" for major criminal factions, such as the First Capital Command (PCC), the Pure Third Command (TCP), and the Red Command (CV). The structure specialized in concealing the illicit origin of the money through shell companies, split deposits, and successive untraceable transfers.
One of the most sensitive aspects of the operation is the investigation of a possible international nexus. Authorities have identified evidence of a connection with a member of a financing structure for the terrorist organization Al-Qaeda. The investigation is examining a commercial relationship between a company linked to the suspects and a financial operator who is under sanctions by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the U.S. Treasury Department agency, for his alleged involvement with Al-Qaeda. Authorities emphasized that this link is still under analysis and will be further investigated through the forensic examination of seized materials.
Among the ten detainees are Ali Alfakih, Kassem Zayoun, and Daniel Yasser Zayoun. The Specialized Action Group against Organized Crime (Gaeco) has already filed charges against 22 individuals indicted by judicial order, who also had their financial assets blocked and corporate holdings frozen.
The actions in Foz do Iguaçu, a strategic city in the Triple Frontier between Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina, included five search and seizure orders, highlighting the region's role as a hub for the interstate and international movement of illicit funds. The operation began with the investigation of a counterfeit goods store in Rio de Janeiro, which led investigators to unravel the complex money laundering network.