Jail director who received bribes from prisoners in exchange for work is the target of an operation that carries out more than 130 warrants in MT, PA, GO and MG | Mato Grosso

This Tuesday (7), a Civil Police operation carried out 132 court orders against a group of prisoners who paid bribes to the director of the Primavera do Leste Public Prison, 239 km from Cuiabá, in exchange for external work. Investigations found that the head of the scheme acquired assets, including opening companies, purchasing a fleet of trucks, real estate and luxury vehicles, despite being in prison.

The warrants are served in four states: Primavera do Leste, Paranatinga and Dom Aquino, in Mato Grosso, Uberlândia (MG), Rio Verde (GO) and Santana do Araguaia (PA).

Data analyzed from the intelligence report of the Financial Activities Control Council (COAF) demonstrated transactions carried out between those being investigated. According to the Civil Police, between February 2022 and November last year, the scheme moved in R$485 thousand to R$24 million.

In addition to the transactions, those investigated also received credits and made deposits into bank accounts of prisoners or prisoners’ families.

The action is part of the La Catedral operation to comply with court orders, including arrests, searches and seizures, blocking of bank accounts, in addition to the seizure of movable and immovable assets of those being investigated. The investigation investigates the crimes of passive corruption, active corruption, money laundering and facilitating the exit of a prisoner for illegal activities.

The Civil Police identified the existence of a group that was formed to buy privileges, move illegal money and promote money laundering through construction companies and offer illicit advantages to public servants in the prison.

According to the police, those investigated used third parties and legal entities to move illicit amounts. There was also the purchase of vehicles and properties to give the money the appearance of legality.

The head of the scheme, Janderson dos Santos Lopes, aged 30, was the target of preventive arrest warrants, search and seizure, freezing of valuables and kidnapping of assets. The director of the public prison was the target of search and seizure, freezing of assets and removal from office.

Janderson is one of the main targets of the investigation and is imprisoned in the Primavera do Leste prison unit, after being sentenced to 39 years in prison. Even though he was arrested, the Civil Police identified that he was free to continue his criminal activities, leading from inside the prison.

The chief has already been the target of two Civil Police operations – Três Estados and Red Money – which investigated drug trafficking and money laundering crimes. He and his wife had their assets confiscated and seized in operations, which is when the courts seize an asset to guarantee future payment of the debt.

However, a year after Janderson’s transfer to the Primavera do Leste chain, he acquired considerable assets, including opening companies, purchasing a fleet of trucks with trailers and semi-trailers; properties in Cuiabá, Primavera do Leste and Poxoréu; and luxury vehicles for him and his wife, who was also arrested.

According to the police, the convict also boasts a high standard of living on social media, sharing images of trucks, cars, real estate buildings and cattle.

The team found that Janderson had judicial authorization to work externally and attend college in Primavera do Leste. However, during the investigation period, the police found that he did not attend work or course classes.

Last year, the Primavera do Leste Civil Police launched an investigation to investigate alleged irregularities in the public chain. In the investigation, the existence of a corruption scheme in the sale of benefits within the unit was reported, which included authorization for external work and privileged accommodation in the prison.

Among the bribe payments to the director, it was found that Janderson would have transferred R$ 20 thousandthrough other people, to obtain external work. Beyond, other prisoners would also have made payments for extramural work.

It refers to La Catedral, the prison where drug trafficker Pablo Escobar was held, in Colombia. The unit was guarded by the drug dealer’s own trusted men, who made the place an extension of his illicit business and from prison he continued to command drug trafficking and other actions, until he was extradited to the United States. The prison had amenities such as games rooms, a gym and a football field. In La Catedral, Escobar held parties with drinks, drugs and women.