In a case against some of those accused and arrested in Megaoperation Contenção, which completed 1 year on Wednesday, the Public Ministry requested the conviction of 15 people linked to Comando Vermelho in Penha and Alemão.
The MP also asked for the acquittal of a wheelchair-bound and paraplegic defendant who was indicted by the Civil Police and denounced by the Public Prosecutor's Office as an armed soldier of drug trafficking.
The 51 defendants before the Court following the Public Prosecutor's complaint were divided into three different cases: one with 16 people, another with 33 defendants who are on the run or have not been cited by the Court and a third, with only two defendants. Another defendant died and had his punishment terminated.
On October 5, prosecutor Juliana Pompeu, from the 42nd Criminal Court, requested the conviction of 15 defendants for different crimes:
André Felipe Mendes da Silva, the "Blind" drug soldier
Carlos Alexandre Siqueira Pinto, "Alex Macarrão", drug soldier
Daniel Afonso de Andrade, "Danado", drug soldier
Davi da Silva Candido, drug soldier
Fabrício Dias Correia, "Pelezinho", drug trafficking soldier in Penha
Fagner Campos Marinho, "Bafo", drug soldier and member of Doca security
Henrique Wesley Braga Neves, "Rick", drug soldier responsible for patrolling
João Vitor Machado, "Dilma", responsible for security at the Doca house
Nikolas Fernandes Soares, "Hurley", drug soldier responsible for patrolling
Pedro Paulo Guedes, "Pedro Bala", executive head of drug trafficking in Penha
Rosimaria Victor de Souza, for providing assistance and logistical support for trafficking in Penha
Thiago Barbosa Conrado, the "TH of Rasta"
Vagner Rodrigues de Freitas, "Malvadão", with notes for murder and robbery
Vinicius de Almeida Silva, drug soldier in armed containment and surveillance
Walmir Oliveira Santos, drug trafficking and armed containment soldier in Penha
All are responsible for increased association with trafficking, for crimes committed near educational establishments, using firearms and aiming to target children or adolescents. One of the defendants is also responsible for the crime of torture.
One year of the mega-operation: this report is part of a g1 series on the consequences of the action carried out on October 28, 2025 in the Penha and Alemão complexes, with 122 deaths. See all reports.
MP calls for acquittal of paraplegic
Herbert in the wheelchair — Photo: Reproduction
In the closing arguments, the prosecutor also asked for the acquittal of Herbert da Silva de Souza, 31 years old, who goes by the nickname “Negão”.
In investigations by the Narcotics Repression Police Station, he was indicted as an armed soldier of the Comando Vermelho in Penha, with the usual use of a rifle mentioned in the final report of the case.
However, he has been a paraplegic and has been in a wheelchair since 2012, as documents attached to the process show. At the time, Herbert was 17 years old and was shot in the back when he participated in an attempted robbery in March of that year in Vila da Penha, in the West Zone.
According to the Civil Police, he was also a member of one of the faction's "containment" Whatsapp groups, linked to the soldiers responsible for patrolling and armed containment of drug trafficking in the community.
During the court hearings of the case, Herbert's lawyer, Michel Brito, presented documents proving that he has been in a wheelchair for 14 years.
There are no ongoing investigations against Herbert. He was indicted in 2019 for qualified resistance and association for trafficking, but was acquitted in court in 2022 due to the lack of sufficient evidence to convict in a case in the 21st Criminal Court.
When questioned during a court hearing, the DRE chief, Moyses Santana, and other police officers involved in the investigation said they did not remember Herbert specifically.
One of them even stated that, if he had known that Herbert was paraplegic, "it doesn't make sense for him to be a drug soldier."
In the closing arguments, the prosecutor says that, despite being identified as a member of the Whatsapp groups, Herbert could not act as an armed soldier while being in a wheelchair:
"The role assigned to him in the trafficking organization chart, namely, armed soldier, does not appear to be in line with his physical condition, as he has had “Complete Traumatic Paraplegia (AIS-A)” for more than ten years", says an excerpt from the document.
"Thus, there is well-founded doubt about his ability to carry out the conduct alleged against him, a doubt that militates in his favor, so that, in relation to him, acquittal is the measure that is necessary", states the prosecutor.
See all the reports in the series:
Faction leader is among the defendants
Poster by Pedro Bala on Disque Denúncia — Photo: Reproduction
Among the defendants requested for arrest is drug trafficker Pedro Paulo Guedes, known as Pedro Bala.
He is identified by investigations by the Narcotics Repression Police Station (DRE) as one of the main names in the Comando Vermelho in Penha, responsible for commanding the smoke traps, the financial administration of the gang, the division of tasks and the distribution of weapons.
According to investigations, he and Edgar Alves de Andrade, known as Doca, give orders in the Penha region. Pedro Bala is the only one of the faction's leaders who has a lawyer appointed in the case against the targets linked to the leadership of Comando Vermelho. He has 9 arrest warrants issued by the courts.
CV's main targets in the mega-operation remain at large — Photo: Arte/g1
