Operation Hurricane: Brazil’s War on Illegal Gambling, Corruption and Money Laundering

In a well-coordinated series of raids – appropriately code-named Operation Hurricane – launched in late April and encompassing three states and the Federal District, Brazil’s Federal Police [Polícia Federal - PF] rounded up 25 persons suspected of involvement in illegal gambling and carried out 70 search and seizure warrants. The detainees, who were promptly whisked off by plane to the PF headquarters in Brasília, were a diverse group of individuals, ranging from a number of kingpins of what is known as the mafia of illegal gambling, to a high profile group of court of appeals judges, prominent lawyers, and a federal attorney...more