The Public Ministry of Rio de Janeiro, through the Cyber Crimes Division of the Specialized Action Group for Combating Organized Crime (CyberGaeco), carried out an operation against a bet supposedly created by two suspects with connections to the new leadership of the illegal numbers game. The investigation examines the use of money of illicit origin to obtain accreditation with Loterj.
According to the MP, Vinicius Pereira Drumond andFlávio da Silva Santos used resources of criminal origin to pay Loterj, a state government body, the grant of R$ 5 million. This amount enabled the opening of Rio Jogos, a company specializing in online sports betting.
Vinicius is the son of the late illegal gambling boss Luizinho Drumond, a traditional figure in the illegal numbers game scene. Meanwhile,Flávio, president of Mocidade Independente de Padre Miguel, is under house arrest and is accused of acting as the right-hand man of illegal gambling operator Rogério de Andrade, indicating the continuity of traditional criminal structures in controlling illegal activities.
