Fugitive: operation against money laundering for drug trafficking hindered by American sanctions
A man under investigation for allegedly moving illicit funds for drug networks evaded capture when actions by the US government forced the Federal Police to act before schedule.
Fugitive: operation against money laundering for drug trafficking hindered by American sanctions
A man wanted for allegedly moving illicit funds for international drug networks managed to evade capture when measures imposed by the US government forced the Federal Police to act ahead of schedule.
In March this year, the Federal Police requested judicial authorisation in São Paulo to conduct an operation against people suspected of moving money for traffickers. The federal criminal court authorised the operation three months later. Investigators then began monitoring the suspects to locate them.
However, on 1 July, Washington announced sanctions against two Brazilian citizens and three companies based in the country. Among those penalised was Victor Henrique de Oliveira Shimada, one of the suspects being monitored by the Federal Police. The sanctions were part of the Trump administration's decision to treat the PCC and Red Command as terrorist groups.
Concerned that the suspect could disappear upon realising he was in the authorities' sights, police officers decided to advance the operation. When they went to arrest him on Friday, 3 July, he had already disappeared. Currently, he is a fugitive.
The Federal Police chief, Andrei Rodrigues, admitted that the public announcement of the American sanctions caused damage to the investigation. The fugitive already had a police record: he was detained in December 2024 for thousands of fraudulent transactions via Pix and convicted the following year, but obtained provisional freedom through a habeas corpus.
The police operation, called "Exchange", aimed to combat the movement of funds to international traffickers, including the blocking of billions in assets.
Source: CartaCapital
Source: Google News BR — Crime