Source: Paulínia News, 13/11/2007

Twenty-one people, including seven police officers, three municipal guards, lawyers, businessmen and an employee of the Paulínia City Hall, were reported to the Justice by members of the Special Action Group and Repression against Organized Crime (Gaerco), of the State Public Ministry. They are accused of facilitating adulteration, distribution and commercialization of adulterated fuels. Of the total of those denounced, four had preventive custody decree.

On Saturday, the 2nd Assistant Police Corregedoria arrested investigators José Laerte Pelá, who served as head of investigators for the 13th Police District, in Cambuí, and Robson Ferreira, based in Hortolândia. Late yesterday afternoon, João Vicente Salto Lunetta, who worked at the Paulínia police station, was also arrested. The businessman Ariovaldo Aparecido Diniz is at large and until yesterday evening had not been located. The arrest warrants were granted by Judge Maria Raquel Campos Pinto, from the 1st Criminal Court of Paulínia.

"The judge did not say why the other arrests were not granted," said prosecutor Luiz Alberto Segalla Bevilacqua. The group was indicted for conspiracy and other crimes that vary according to their participation in the scheme, according to the MP. Investigations by the 2 Civil Police Internal Affairs were initiated in 2003. Through wiretapping authorized by the courts, it was discovered that the base of the gang was in Paulínia, Campinas and Hortolândia, and that the scheme was extended to other cities in the region.

According to the MP's findings, it was found that the gang placed at the disposal of businessmen all the apparatus of the criminal organization. “The group was divided into a hierarchy and each of them had a function. The police were responsible for providing privileged information about when the blitzes would take place, escorting trucks or even fuel companies, ”said the prosecutor, based on the complaints. Another part of the gang, in this case that involved lawyers, gave legal support on how to act in this field without being caught by the inspection.

"They agreed with the police how the investigations would be conducted," said the prosecutor. During a telephone conversation between a businessman and a police officer, the owner of a gas station celebrates that he has not passed the inspection sieve. The prosecution still does not know how much the gang earned to perform this type of service. "We know that they were reimbursed, but we have not yet determined the amounts," said Bevilacqua.

The report attempted to locate the lawyers who defend the arrested police, but they could not be reached for comment. Investigators are being held at the Special Prison of the Civil Police in São Paulo. With these arrests, the number of civil police officers from Campinas and cities in the region who were sent to jail in less than two months increases to six.

Arrests enacted

José Laerte Pelá - Police Investigator for over 27 years. In the period when it was
investigated, he was head of investigators at the Interior Judicial Police Department (Deinter-2). He has already worked at the Paulínia police station. He is accused of passing on confidential information that he knew from his position.

Robson Ferreira - Police Investigator for over 16 years. Since 1996, it was located in Hortolândia. He would be responsible for maintaining contact with the other police and civil servants to obtain information on operations, thus preventing the gang's activities from being put at risk.

João Vicente Salto Lunetta - Police investigator for over 16 years, ten of them at the Paulínia police station. It would be his responsibility to collect values ​​from people interested in dealing with the illicit fuel trade. He passed on the information he had, which was confidential.

Ariovaldo Aparecido Diniz - The businessman would be responsible for adulterating fuel and selling the product.

Source: Jornal Correio Popular