Operation arrests businessman and executes 24 search warrants in the region The property measures authorized by the Court in the second phase of Operation Armageddon can reach up to R$ 205.7 million in assets of those investigated on suspicion of loan sharking, extortion and money laundering in Vale do Paraíba. Among the targets of this Wednesday's operation (6) is the businessman identified by the Civil Police as Kleber Nunes, arrested in São José dos Campos. He denied involvement in the crimes and claimed to be innocent. Named by investigations as one of the leaders of a criminal organization suspected of practicing loan sharking, extortion and money laundering in Vale do Paraíba, Kleber stated that he complied with all precautionary measures imposed by the courts. "All, all measures. I'm undergoing cancer treatment, I had a kidney removed. I have rectal cancer. I didn't fail to comply with anything. I'm innocent, I don't owe anything to the justice system, nothing", he said in an interview with TV Vanguarda. The investigator also denied having threatened people linked to the case. g1 tries to locate Kleber's defense. According to the São Paulo Public Ministry, Kleber was already under house arrest, but continued coordinating the criminal organization's activities from his own residence. Therefore, the Court ordered a new preventive detention while the investigations were ongoing. Kleber Nunes denies the crime and says he never made threats to people linked to the case Reproduction/Rede Vanguarda The arrest took place during the second phase of Operation Armageddon, launched by the Public Ministry, Civil Police and Military Police. In total, 24 search and seizure warrants issued by the São José dos Campos Court were executed, in addition to measures to break the confidentiality of electronic data and block assets. According to prosecutor Luiz Fernandes Cavani de Macedo, from the Special Action Group to Combat Organized Crime (Gaeco), the new phase of the operation was necessary because investigations showed that the group continued to operate even after the arrests made in the first stage of the offensive, in November 2024. "Today's prisoner is one of the leaders of the criminal organization. He is one of those who really gets rich from criminal activities, he has a lot of hidden assets that still need to be blocked, which still needs to be searched, and all the material that was seized today will help us go after this heritage of illicit origin", he stated. According to the Public Ministry, the organization is being investigated for granting loans with abusive interest rates and using threats to collect debts. The investigations indicate that victims who were unable to pay off their debts ended up losing assets, such as properties and vehicles, transferred to third parties linked to the group. Prosecutors also say there are reports of victims leaving the country because of the threats. Prosecutor Luiz Fernandes Cavani de Macedo, from Gaeco, says that the arrested businessman is one of the leaders of the criminal organization Reproduction/Rede Vanguarda Delegate Cintia Gil Veneziane Dias, from the Special Criminal Center for Combating Organized Crime (Neccold), stated that the investigations continue and that the material seized in this phase of the operation will be analyzed to deepen the investigations. Investigations show that the organization continued to operate even after the first phase of Operation Armageddon, when members of the group were arrested and some of the accused ended up being convicted by the courts. According to the Public Ministry, some of the leaders of the scheme were sentenced to more than 100 years in prison. Also according to the investigation, residential and commercial properties, high-end vehicles, companies and income from rentals exceeding R$48,000 per month were identified. Among the assets affected by the legal measures are 37 mangalarga marchador horses linked to the main person being investigated. The patrimonial measures authorized by the Court can reach up to R$205.7 million, according to the Public Ministry. Investigations continue to identify others involved and locate assets that, according to the bodies responsible for the operation, had been hidden by the criminal organization. See more news from Vale do Paraíba and the Bragantina region