Suspect believed to be a member of CV met with Castro's secretary to discuss political assistance, according to the Federal Police.

Gabriel Dias de Oliveira, identified by the Federal Police as the treasurer of Comando Vermelho , met with Gutemberg Fonseca, Secretary of Consumer Protection for Rio de Janeiro, under the government of Cláudio Castro ( PL ), to discuss political support.

The information is in the final report of Operation Zargun, dated September 27, which Folha had access to. The operation, launched in early September, targeted public officials and politicians linked to international arms and drug trafficking .

According to the Federal Police, "apparently" the secretary did not meet the expectations of Gabriel, known as Índio do Lixão (Landfill Indian), "even after receiving some kind of assistance." The agency did not specify what this assistance would be.

The secretary's office stated that Gutemberg is completely unaware of Índio's personal life and background and that, if any contact occurred at public events, "it was entirely casual, without any knowledge of any illicit involvement."

According to the Federal Police, the dialogues revealed "the political maneuvering of the criminal organization to co-opt high-ranking officials in the State Executive Branch," as well as "the use of the public machinery to shield and promote the interests of the faction."

According to the police report, the meeting between the two took place on May 13, based on conversations extracted from Índio's cell phone.

One of them is an audio message sent to Alessandro Pitombeira Carracena, who was the state secretary of Sport and Leisure for Rio in 2022, as well as the undersecretary of Consumer Protection until January of this year—both positions during the Castro administration.

Índio reported that he met with the secretary of "where you work" and that they talked about politics and how he could help him. The police deduced that it was Gutemberg.

The suspect also stated that he was brought by an intermediary so that the secretary could meet him, "in order to see how they could help each other politically."

He concluded by telling Carracena that Gutemberg could contact him the following day to ask who he was and whether he was "involved in the problem or not." The police interpreted the dialogue as a request for "political cover."

"I already spoke with them, I told them that you are firm and it's important for him to have you by his side," the former secretary reportedly replied. According to the Federal Police, this indicates support for Índio's political project.

The Federal Police also highlighted that, on June 5th, Índio sent Carracena a video of Gutemberg at an event for Enel, the distributor responsible for supplying energy in Rio, and said: "He got strong with Enel, didn't he?"

Carracena replied: "Much of it is because of you." Then, according to the report, Índio confided: "I'm not going to bother him anymore, doctor, I can't keep forcing him to help me if in his heart he doesn't want to help me."

According to the messages, the former secretary responded that he was "fighting for it," to which Índio stated: "If he wanted to, he would have already done it." The alleged treasurer also said: "Even more so after what I did."

The Federal Police document contains no information about which Enel event is being referred to, nor what assistance was allegedly provided.

A day after Índio's message, Gutemberg's page and his department's Instagram page made a joint post about an event at Enel's headquarters, with the aim of "strengthening the relationship and partnership with local consumer protection agencies".

Índio and Carracena were arrested during Operation Zargun, launched in early September. The former is identified by the Federal Police as the main person responsible for negotiating weapons and drugs for Comando Vermelho, "maintaining close connections with criminal leaders operating in Complexo do Alemão."

According to the investigation, he also participated in clandestine currency exchange operations and concealed and disguised the funds acquired in the scheme, which were then passed on to drug traffickers.

According to the police, he also acted as an intermediary between the leaders of criminal factions and public authorities. The Federal Police found that Comando Vermelho intended to launch him as a candidate for city councilor in Duque de Caxias, in the Baixada Fluminense region.

According to the police, he earned the nickname "do Lixão" (of the Dump) for leading the drug trade in the Lixão slum in the municipality. He was arrested in 2015.

The Federal Police indicted him on suspicion of promoting, forming, financing, or being part of a criminal organization and association for international arms and drug trafficking. The reporter could not reach Índio's defense attorney.

Carracena, according to the Federal Police, acts as the political and legal arm of the faction. He allegedly received money from its members to leak information about police operations to the group and to serve their interests through contacts acquired in public life.

He was indicted on suspicion of promoting, forming, financing, or being a member of a criminal organization, violating professional secrecy (when a public official reveals a secret of their position or facilitates its disclosure), and active corruption (when offering or promising undue advantage to a public official).

Attorney Rodrigo Roca, who is defending Carracena, said that his client "did nothing more than make himself available to a candidate to assist him in seeking political support."

"The dialogue between Dr. Carracena and the Indian, contrary to the perverse accusatory narrative, was part of a legitimate search for political support. At no point was there any mention of undue advantages or the practice of any act contrary to the law."

The press office of the secretariat reiterated that Gutemberg does not maintain and has never maintained any type of personal or institutional relationship with the suspect. They also stated that, as a public figure, he participates in events where it is natural to have contact with people, without prior knowledge of who they are or their background.

Furthermore, he stated that he has always acted within the limits of the law, dealing exclusively with republican agendas, of collective interest and of an institutional nature. "Any matter that deviates from this purpose does not receive and has never received his attention," he said.

Regarding the aforementioned event with the company Enel, the secretariat stated that all interaction with concessionaires and service providers is strictly institutional in nature, always within official procedures and without the need for intermediaries.

Enel stated that the company holds frequent meetings with authorities and representatives of civil society from all municipalities within its concession area to hear about local needs and inform them of the actions planned by the company. "The company reiterates that it has no relationship whatsoever with Gabriel Dias de Oliveira," it said.