The Civil Police launched a new phase of Operation Rastreio in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday, arresting eight people and executing 41 search warrants.
The joint operation with the Federal Revenue targets a network that shipped stolen or robbed phones from Rio to other states via postal services. Agents intercepted 30 shipments containing 65 phones with Anatel restrictions or theft records.
Investigators will examine the IMEIs of the seized devices to trace their illicit origins. The goal is to map the entire chain from shipping to final distribution and sale.
Since Operation Rastreio began, police have recovered 13,300 phones, returned 6,000 to owners and arrested more than 900 criminals.
