Brazilian police have enforced the next phase of a regional gambling crackdown and arrested a former Congressman, Roberto Razuk and members of his family.
The news comes from the Ministerio Público of Mato Grosso do Sul, and outlines the decision to enforce 20 arrest warrants for individuals of interest in ongoing illegal gambling cases.
This also included 27 search-and-seizure warrants for entry into locations hosting information or paraphernalia related to illegal gambling.
The effort resulted in the arrest of multiple members of the alleged crime family, R$300,000 (US$60,000), seizure of firearms and multiple “Máquinas de apostas” gambling machines related to unlicensed betting, reported newspaper Premier Pagina.
Police enforce gambling inquest
According to the press release, the official title for the gambling inquest is Operation Successione, which involves the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Mato Grosso do Sul (MPMS) and the Special Action Group for Combating Organized Crime (GAECO).
Mato Grosso do Sul sits to the East of Bolivia and Paraguay, near the Brazilian border. The region will be looking to keep the pressure on illegal gambling in the Campo Grande, Corumbá, Dourados, Maracaju and Ponta Porã areas.
The police have deployed large-scale numbers to the new operation, including named units such as the Shock Battalion, Special Operations Battalion (BOPE), Internal Affairs Department and Tactical Force (Batalhão de Choque, BOPE, Corregedoria and Força Tática).
Brazilian former Congressman arrested
Roberto Razuk was a businessman and former state deputy from 1980 to 1980. He, alongside his sons, had a chequered past that reached a boiling point when his business empire sought to take over an illegal lottery named “jogo do bicho.”
In the previous Operation Omerta, the Italian word for “code of silence”, the family were under immense pressure from the GAECO for their part in numerous business activities that the police found suspicious.
As part of the most recent action, the former politician, his sons Rafael and Jorge, and the family’s legal counsel were all arrested according to local news outlet Mediamax.
Featured image: Public Prosecutor’s Office of Mato Grosso do Sul
