The São Paulo Public Prosecutor's Office (MP-SP), through its special organized crime unit Gaeco, launched Operation Merx on Friday morning (28) with support from the Civil Police Internal Affairs Division and the Department of Strategic Operations (Dope), targeting a group suspected of extorting electronics smugglers. Courts issued seven pre-trial arrest warrants, four of them against civil police officers, along with 18 search and seizure warrants across three states, according to G1 and O Globo.
The four civil police officers facing pre-trial detention are Jonathan Vieira, Bruno Moreno, José Nishi and Sidiclei Almeida. As of the latest updates, four of the seven suspects had been arrested; one of the wanted men was reportedly in Paraguay and two others had not been located. All remain under investigation and are presumed innocent unless convicted. G1 is seeking comment from the suspects' defense lawyers.
What the investigation found
According to the MP-SP, the officers intercepted shipments of cell phones and other electronics brought irregularly into Brazil and, instead of seizing the goods in full, demanded payments equal to roughly 70% of the cargo's value to release it, in whole or in part. In at least four documented episodes since 2024, the group allegedly collected around R$ 2.35 million (roughly US$ 430,000) in bribes.
A lawyer is accused of acting as the scheme's intermediary: he negotiated with the officers, indicated bank accounts for the payments, advised which values should be declared to authorities and took part in returning the merchandise. In messages reviewed by investigators, he referred to the cash as the "caixinha da alegria", Portuguese for "little box of joy". Two other people are suspected of running the smuggling operation and funding the payments. Prosecutors say the Civil Police's own structure was used to monitor cargo, and that members of the group used police premises to store goods and stage partial seizures to give their actions a veneer of legality. The investigation targets passive corruption, active corruption, money laundering and criminal organization.
Searches at police stations and asset freezes
Among the 18 addresses searched were three Civil Police units in Greater São Paulo: the Santana de Parnaíba police station, the Embu das Artes police station and Cotia's 2nd Police District. Warrants were served in Barueri, Taboão da Serra, Diadema, Cotia, Santana de Parnaíba, Embu das Artes, São Sebastião and the city of São Paulo, as well as Londrina and Foz do Iguaçu in Paraná state and São Luís de Montes Belos in Goiás. Courts also authorized lifting the suspects' banking and communications secrecy and ordered the freezing of up to R$ 4 million in assets. A fifth civil police officer, a first-class investigator, was removed from duty, had his system credentials revoked and was barred from contacting suspects and witnesses.
The case now moves forward with the Gaeco investigation, as three suspects remain at large, and with the expected presentation of the defendants' legal responses. The MP-SP has not given a date for further warrants or for the conclusion of the probe.