A task force composed of state and federal agencies sealed six clandestine fuel stations in the São Paulo capital during an operation carried out this morning. The establishments were run by businesspeople suspected of ties to organized crime, and most were formally registered under frontmen. The action was named Operation Bomba Oculta and represents a follow-up to Carbono Oculta, which marks its first anniversary this Friday.
In addition to the closures in the capital, more than 1,200 fuel stations will be declared ineligible nationwide. In São Paulo state alone, 910 establishments are targeted by the measure, with 682 of them having been previously suspended. The ineligibility prevents the issuance of tax documents and blocks the companies' bank accounts.
According to investigators, some companies operated with so-called "shelf" CNPJs, used to keep the stations running even after losing authorization from the National Petroleum Agency. Since 2019, ANP has revoked the authorization of more than ten thousand stations nationwide, and some of them continued operating illegally through these mechanisms.
