Chamber president in Sumaré arrested for leading drugs trafficking scheme with defined hierarchy
Hélio Silva, president of the Chamber of Sumaré (SP), was arrested in Operation "Archimagus" on suspicion of leading and financing a drugs trafficking group.
Operation "Archimagus" dismantles trafficking group led by councillor in Sumaré (SP)
The group investigated by the Federal Police for drugs trafficking in Sumaré, in the interior of São Paulo, operated with rigid hierarchy and functions distributed among members to facilitate the sale of narcotics, the logistics of the scheme and the movement of money. According to g1.globo.com, at the top of the organisation would be the president of the Municipal Chamber, Hélio Silva, identified by investigators by the codename "Mr. M".
Silva, 55 years old, was arrested in the morning of this Wednesday (9) during Operation "Archimagus", coordinated by the Integrated Force to Combat Organised Crime (Ficco) of Campinas. The Federal Police indicate that the councillor acted as leader and financier of the scheme, maintaining frequent contact with the other investigated individuals and being responsible for the allocation of resources for criminal activities.
Structure of the group
Below Silva in the organisation would be Maikon Batista da Costa, identified as manager of the drugs sales points and responsible for managing the narcotics trade.
Three other members would have specific operational functions. Sivanir Alves would be responsible for controlling access to a rural property in Jacutinga (MG), used to store drugs. Jurailton Rosa dos Santos is suspected of delivering and receiving cash amounts. Cláudio Miguel da Costa would act as operational contact for the scheme.
The judicial decision that based the arrests affirms that Hélio Silva would have met several times with the investigated individuals, including Maikon Costa, in locations identified as drugs sales points. The councillor is also suspected of having received bags with cash, transported the amounts in an official vehicle of the Chamber of Sumaré and used crime proceeds to finance political and electoral activities.
Rural property used to store drugs
The Ficco of Campinas brings together agents from the Federal Police, Federal Highway Police, Military Police and Civil Police of São Paulo, in addition to municipal guards from Paulínia (SP). In the operation, two temporary arrest warrants were carried out and ten search and seizure warrants in Campinas, Sumaré, Vinhedo (SP) and Jacutinga (MG).
Among the targeted locations is the rural property in Jacutinga, which according to the investigation may have been used to store drugs. The Federal Police also identified evidence of financing the purchase of narcotics, in addition to storage and distribution to trafficking points in the Sumaré region. Properties and companies would also have been used in the criminal scheme.
Political trajectory
Born in Porteirinha (MG), Hélio Silva is married and father of eight children. Businessman in the field of construction materials, he was elected councillor by Cidadania in 2016 and re-elected in 2020. In 2024, he obtained a new term with 1,916 votes. In January 2025, he was re-elected to the presidency of the Chamber for the two-year term 2025/2026. Silva is also a candidate for federal deputy in the 2026 elections.
The Cidadania party did not respond to the request for a statement sent by g1 and EPTV, an affiliate of TV Globo, until the closure of the report. The defences of the councillor and the other investigated individuals were not located.
Chamber invokes presumption of innocence
In a statement, the Municipal Chamber of Sumaré affirmed that the facts "concern a personal investigation involving councillor and president Helio Silva" and that "to date, there is no information linking the case to the institutional activities of the Legislative Branch". The chamber reinforced "its commitment to transparency and legality" and stressed that "the councillor, like any citizen, is protected by the constitutional principle of the presumption of innocence".
The Cidadania party suspended the councillor's functions after the arrest.
Source: Google News BR — São Paulo