A former military police officer from Rio de Janeiro was the target of the second phase of Operation Tornique, which aims to combat the theft of cigarette shipments in Baixada Fluminense. Officers from the Public Ministry and the Civil Police on Tuesday (24) executed 16 arrest warrants and 10 search and seizure warrants. As of the last update of this report, five people had been arrested.
The complaint was received by the 2nd Criminal Court of Duque de Caxias, and the warrants were executed in several locations, such as Duque de Caxias, São João de Meriti, Itaboraí and in the city of Rio, including the Gericinó Penitentiary Complex. The operation was supported by the 15th Military Police Battalion.
Investigations revealed that the group committed at least 15 cigarette cargo thefts between 2019 and 2020, with a total of 240,485 packs stolen from Souza Cruz. In addition, the group was involved in the theft of food cargo, online purchases, household appliances, and vehicles.
The complaint details text exchanges between the criminals, in which they plan the robbery and discuss the logistics of the crime. Audio analyzed by the Civil Police shows conversations about taking the kidnapped driver to the Nova Holanda Community and the need to unload the cargo in 45 minutes.
