Group that moved more than R$1 billion in a tax evasion scheme in the meat trade is the target of warrants in MG and SP | Mining Triangle

The Minas Gerais Interinstitutional Asset Recovery Committee (Cira-MG) launched the “Castelo de Vento” operation this Wednesday morning (8) to dismantle a criminal scheme of tax evasion in the industry and trade sector of meat and by-products derived from animal slaughter.

The targets are agents specialized in tax evasion schemes, accountants, businesspeople and legal entities. They are being investigated for the crimes of criminal association, tax evasion, ideological falsehood and money laundering.

The State Revenue Service found that the total number of fraudulent transactions reached values ​​greater than R$ 1 billion. Some of the companies involved have already been fined by the State Revenue Service and owe around R$80 million to the State of Minas Gerais.

The investigations began through audit work by the State Revenue Service (SRF/Uberaba), which identified the operation of the criminal scheme and took the case to the Public Ministry for joint investigation.

• several people came together to practice structured tax evasion, using dozens of companies to systematically issue false invoices;
• these cold notes were used to simulate commercial transactions, cover up the purchase of illegal cattle in the name of slaughterhouses and hide third-party operations, transferring fiscal responsibility to shell companies;
• shell companies were used to covertly move hundreds of millions of reais over more than five years.

According to the State Revenue Service, the name of the operation refers to the various shell companies created by the criminal group to falsify more than R$1 billion in commercial transactions, facilitating the evasion of tens of millions of reais at a loss to Minas Gerais.

9 prosecutors, 39 tax auditors and 28 State Revenue IT Experts, 40 military police officers and 9 civil police officers participated in the operation.

There was support from the Special Action Group to Combat Organized Crime (Gaeco) and the São Paulo PM in executing warrants against targets residing in São José do Rio Preto (SP).