Operation targets scheme that laundered more than R$100 million for criminal factions A man was arrested in Foz do Iguaçu, in western Paraná, during Operation Hawala, which investigates a money laundering scheme linked to criminal factions. He was located at his father-in-law's house, in a condominium in the Três Fronteiras neighborhood, and taken to the Foz do Iguaçu State Penitentiary. "During the investigation, agents identified a possible connection with a member of a financing structure for the terrorist organization Al-Qaeda," stated the Rio de Janeiro Civil Police. ?? Al-Qaeda is an international terrorist network, created by Osama bin Laden in the late 1980s. The organization became known for the attacks of September 11, 2001, on the Twin Towers in New York. ? Follow g1 Foz do Iguaçu and region on WhatsApp There is no official identification of this man arrested in Paraná. In total, 10 people were arrested as part of the operation, until the last update of this report: Ali Alfakih, Barbara de Oliveira Rosa, Bárbara Luzia Souza de Carvalho, Kassem Zayoun, Lucas Gabriel Vidal, Reda Zayoun, Samuel Morais da Hora, Thierry Martins Lourenço Ribeiro, Yago Jorge de Souza Daniel and Yasser Zayoun. g1 tries to identify the defenses. The operation was launched this Wednesday (15) by the Public Ministry of Rio de Janeiro (MP-RJ) and the Civil Police of RJ. The group is suspected of moving at least R$100 million in resources linked to drug trafficking. According to investigations, the scheme provided services to the Third Pure Command (TCP) and hid resources linked to the Red Command (CV) and the First Capital Command (PCC). Civil Police and MPRJ carry out operation against scheme that laundered more than R$ 100 million for criminal factions Reproduction Agents from the Delegated Services Defense Department (DDSD), with support from the Special Resources Coordination (Core), and prosecutors from the Specialized Action Group to Combat Organized Crime (Gaeco/MPRJ) also went out to carry out 37 searches and seizures at addresses in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Minas Gerais, in addition to Foz do Iguaçu. The 3rd Specialized Court in Criminal Organization of the Court of Justice of RJ also imposed precautionary measures to block financial assets and unavailability of assets and corporate interests. Gaeco denounced 22 people. Judge Alexandre Abrahão Dias Teixeira accepted the complaint in full, making everyone defendant. What the investigation was like The investigation began at the Police Station for the Repression of Crimes against Intangible Property (DRCPIM), which discovered a “multi-brand” company based in the São Carlos Complex and linked to the leadership of the Tercero Comando Puro (TCP) faction, which sold counterfeit items and received stolen electronics. The specialist tracked down the owners of this firm and found a network of dozens of shell companies spread across different states and created to drain drug money. The group also used smurfing - fractional cash deposits to circumvent control mechanisms. During the investigations, the agents also identified a group of businesspeople of Lebanese origin identified as responsible for expanding the interstate and international circulation of illicit resources. There are also elements that indicate operations on the triple border between Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina. Suspected link with Al-Qaeda operator The agents identified a commercial relationship between a company linked to those being investigated and an individual sanctioned by the Office of Foreign Assets Control, a body within the United States Treasury Department responsible for applying economic punishments. "According to the information gathered, this individual is part of a financing structure for the terrorist organization Al-Qaeda. This link will be deepened based on the analysis of the evidence seized during the operation", declared the Rio de Janeiro Civil Police. Read also: Londrina: Lawyer is the target of an operation against fraud involving more than R$3 billion in ICMS Greater Curitiba: Bazaar brings together imported furniture and decorative objects Scam: Customer uses artificial intelligence to simulate a cockroach in a snack and ask for a refund Most watched videos on g1 Paraná: Read more news on g1 Paraná.