Police operation dismantles R$5 million grain diversion scheme in the port of Itaituba, in Pará

The Civil Police of Pará arrested 9 people in Operation Grão Fantasma. The action dismantled a diversion of R$5 million in grains in Itaituba.

The scheme had 5 active employees and 4 former employees of a transport company. The soybean and corn fraud was discovered after an internal audit of the company.

The gang diverted real cargo by simulating fictitious deliveries into the system. In 12 months, 22 trailers of grain originally intended for export were diverted.

The police carried out 11 search warrants and are investigating the reception in Mato Grosso. The next step is to identify farmers and businesspeople who purchased the cargo.

An action by the Civil Police of Pará dismantled a criminal scheme that diverted more than R$5 million in loads of soybeans and corn in the district of Miritituba, in Itaituba, in the southwest of the state.

Named "Operation Grão Fantasma", the action resulted in the temporary arrest of nine people and revealed a fraud network that operated undercover in a logistics company.

According to investigations, the criminal scheme involved the direct participation of employees of the affected carrier itself.

In total, five active employees and four former employees of the company were arrested. Among the targets of the operation are the suspect of recruiting new members for the fraud and a group intermediary.

How the scheme worked

According to the Police, the fraud had been occurring for around a year at the port of Miritituba and began to be unraveled after an internal audit carried out by the transport company itself. After identifying the inconsistencies, the transport company contacted the Civil Police.

The scheme worked to duplicate the transport operation using two trailers:

The first trailer was traveling loaded with grains (corn or soybeans) and with fully regularized tax documentation.

The second trailer was empty, but used false documents, as well as license plates and electronic tags cloned from the first vehicle.

According to delegate Alexandre Brito, head of the 19th Section of Itaituba, the fraud was consolidated when the product was unloaded at the port.

"The scheme occurred at the time when the unloading was to be carried out. They changed the plate and tag", explained the delegate.

With the maneuver, the system recorded the delivery of the fictitious cargo, while the real grains were diverted to be sold illegally.

Million-dollar losses and seizures

Over the course of 12 months of operation, the gang managed to divert 22 trailers loaded with grain that were originally going to be exported. The estimated initial loss for the logistics sector is R$5 million.

During the operation, in addition to the nine temporary arrests, the police carried out 11 search and seizure warrants at the suspects' residential addresses and at the transport company's premises. At the scene, the following were seized:

Various documents and cell phones;

R$27 thousand in cash;

A revolver.

Next steps in the investigation

The Civil Police identified that the final destination of the cargo diverted from Itaituba was neighboring states and that there is evidence that the scheme has a reception center operating directly in the state of Mato Grosso.

"Considering that the port here is an export corridor, there is a nucleus linked to Mato Grosso. Basically, we will find recipient farmers who bought these diverted grains", said delegate Alexandre Brito.

Those investigated arrested in this first phase of the operation must answer for the crimes of qualified theft through fraud, criminal association and qualified reception.

The Civil Police reported that investigations continue with the analysis of the seized cell phones and documents. The next phase of the operation should focus on tracking the money and identifying the farmers and businesspeople who purchased the stolen cargo.