The Specialized Group for Public Security Action of the Public Prosecutor's Office of the State of Rio de Janeiro (GAESP/MPRJ) indicted three civil police officers accused of participating in an armed criminal organization that used the Civil Police structure to demand or request money from merchants in the scrap metal, junkyard, recycling, and waste disposal sectors in São Gonçalo.
According to the indictment, the police officers targeted two companies, with initial demands of R$300 thousand and R$20 thousand. The officers were arrested Friday morning by teams from MPRJ and the Civil Police Internal Affairs of Rio. A fourth man, who was not a police officer, was also arrested during the operation.
The internal affairs department also executed six search warrants during the action. The four men were arrested on suspicion of belonging to an armed criminal organization, and the police officers were also charged with extortion by a public official, a crime that consists of demanding an undue advantage by a public servant.
