The Federal Police launched the third phase of Operation Anomalia on Wednesday, arresting seven military police officers suspected of acting in favor of organized crime in Rio de Janeiro. The warrants were issued by the Supreme Federal Court and target ties between public agents and factions such as the Comando Vermelho and militias. All arrests occurred without resistance.
The third phase of Operation Anomalia, launched by the Federal Police on March 11, resulted in the arrest of seven military police officers investigated for involvement with drug trafficking and militias in Rio de Janeiro. The preventive arrest and search and seizure warrants were executed in the West Zone and Baixada Fluminense areas of the city, including neighborhoods such as Taquara, Freguesia, Campo Grande, and Santa Cruz, as well as Nova Iguaçu and Nilópolis. With support from the Rio de Janeiro Military Police Corregedoria, the operation led to the detention of all targets, who were removed from their duties by order of the Supreme Federal Court (STF).
According to the PF, the officers used the prerogatives of their uniform and public function to benefit organized crime. "The evidentiary elements gathered during the investigations revealed that the targeted military police officers used the prerogatives of the uniform and public function to act in favor of organized crime. The investigation evidenced a structure aimed not only at logistical facilitation for trafficking and militias, but also at shielding criminals and concealing illicit economic gains," the agency stated in a note. STF Justice Alexandre de Moraes also ordered the breach of secrecy for data on the seized electronic devices.
This phase follows arrests made in the previous days. On March 9, in the first phase, federal delegate Fabrízio Romano was detained for leading a scheme of issuing summonses to coerce Comando Vermelho traffickers and demand bribes, in partnership with lawyers and former Sports Secretary Alessandro Pitombeira Carracena. Romano's defense denies any irregularities. On March 10, Police Civil delegate Marcus Henrique de Oliveira Alves, officers Franklin Jose de Oliveira Alves and Leandro Moutinho de Deus, and trafficker Gabriel Dias de Oliveira, known as Índio do Lixão, were arrested for extorting Comando Vermelho members, corruption, and money laundering.
The investigations probe crimes such as organized crime, active and passive corruption, and money laundering, with potential for new actions based on the collected material.
