Federal Police dismantle immigrant smuggling ring

A Federal Police operation launched this morning (Jul. 8) in São Paulo city has dismantled a criminal organization specializing in immigrant smuggling. The crackdown was dubbed VAR, and was supported by the Ministry of Justice and international bodies, through cooperation with the US Homeland Security Investigations. One search and seizure warrant was served in São Paulo.

According to the authorities, the investigations identified that this criminal group facilitated the illegal entry of foreigners into Brazil through fraudulent residency applications. These requests were based on false employment contracts with sports institutions. In the first few months of 2024 alone, the police identified almost three hundred irregular entries of immigrants, most of them of Cameroonian origin.