Overview

• Rio Grande do Sul civil police launched Operation Modo Selva on Oct. 1, executing 26 judicial orders that included seven preventive arrest warrants and nine searches across RS, SC, SP, BA and PE.
• Four suspects were detained in Canoas (RS) and in Piracicaba and Hortolândia (SP), with alleged leaders named as Lucas Tiago Oliveira de Cerqueira and Levi Andrade da Silva Luz.
• Authorities seized vehicles and blocked bank, investment and cryptocurrency accounts, with reported blocked values reaching about R$210 million.
• Investigators say the network moved more than R$20 million in six months using fake profiles, VPNs, shell companies and third‑party “laranja” accounts to launder proceeds.
• Deepfaked videos featured Gisele Bündchen, Angélica, Juliette, Maísa and Sabrina Sato promoting bogus offers, and Bündchen publicly thanked police for the crackdown.