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1h ago

Rio Claro’s Criminal-Faction Fight Intensifies as Killings Climb and Police Launch Task Force

Investigators link the surge to the city’s position on major transport corridors used for drug and weapons runs.

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Overview

  • Official SSP-SP data show 24 intentional homicides in 2025, including eight executions, up 26.3% from 2024, for a rate of 11.92 per 100,000 residents versus the 4.09 state average.
  • A March raid on a ranch in Hortolândia identified as a Comando Vermelho logistics stop seized 96 kilograms of drugs, firearms and cash, with packages stamped “CV,” according to police records.
  • Prosecutors’ documents cite Wilson Balbino da Cruz, known as “Japonês” or “JJ,” as the property owner entrusted with storing narcotics, weapons, ammunition and money, and he was previously seen with alleged CV figure Leonardo “Bode” Calixto.
  • Investigations name “Bode” as the CV leader in Rio Claro with Edvaldo “Grão” Lopes Júnior as his deputy; police say the PCC ordered both killed and report that “Bode” fled to Rio de Janeiro, while his defense denies the accusations.
  • Authorities describe a fragmented local landscape with the PCC challenged by smaller groups such as Bonde do Magrelo, and the Civil Police say a joint effort with the Public Prosecutor’s Office and Military Police is reinforcing investigations.