A federal court in Brazil has sentenced 14 people to prison for laundering more than 508 million reais ($95 million) in international drug trafficking and other violent crimes, ending a years-long investigation into a complex criminal network that spanned multiple states.
The two gang leaders were each sentenced to more than 21 years in prison, and other sentences ranged from 8 to 17 years. All defendants were ordered to repay the full amount of the money laundered, and assets including seized aircraft and luxury cars were forfeited to the federal government.
The operation, dubbed “Terra Fértil,” uncovered a scheme that used fake companies in two different states to conceal pharmaceutical profits.
Prosecutors said the organization was hierarchical with different roles: leadership directed the flow of money, mid-level operators acted as the front-office staff of the business, and accounting departments kept the network running through false documents and financial deception.
According to the ruling, the network’s strategy followed a process of first depositing illicit funds into the system through small bank deposits, then layering them through fake corporate activities and foreign exchange operations, and finally consolidating them through the purchase of luxury assets.
Prosecutors cited examples such as planes registered under bikini shops and high-end real estate.
The team also used Doral Cabo According to authorities, the system is a parallel method of international money transfers and uses cryptocurrencies to move large amounts of money. Local news outlet Livecoins cited the use of Bitcoin Among the cryptocurrencies in use.
The court’s decision can be appealed.
