The Special Unit for Combating Organized Crime of the Public Ministry of the State of Rio de Janeiro (GAECO/MPRJ) carried out an operation on Tuesday against a criminal group that exploited canteens installed in state prisons. The organization, called the "canteen mafia," maintained a monopoly scheme for nearly ten years to eliminate competition in bids for the administration of the spaces.
According to MPRJ, the group had the alliance of public agents, including a State Undersecretary. The criminals eliminated competitors and controlled the bidding processes to commercially exploit the canteens inside the prison units.
A total of 22 people were indicted for the scheme. GAECO estimates that the damage caused to public coffers exceeds R$ 25 million, a value referring to the years of operation of the criminal organization in the Rio prison system.
The State Secretariat of Prison Police (Seppen) stated that it participated in the operation and that the canteen activities in the prisons were terminated in 2024, during the current administration.
