According to the Federal Police, Paula Simões is married to Patrick Assisi, identified as a member of the Italian mafia 'Ndrangheta. The woman was allegedly threatened after the discovery of an alleged relationship with lawyer Patrick Cardoso, who was being investigated for intermediating contacts with drug traffickers.
Influencer Paula Simões was arrested on suspicion of coordinating cocaine trafficking for the Italian 'Ndrangheta mafia. She would have assumed the role after her husband's arrest.
According to the PF, Paula used the code name "Chanel" and was threatened by the mafia. The group offered 250,000 euros for his head after discovering an extramarital relationship.
The investigation points to Paula's involvement with money changer Tharek Mourad. They would have moved more than 6 million dollars between 2020 and 2021.
Paula was also convicted of money laundering when she bought two apartments in São Paulo. The properties would have been paid for with funds from her husband's drug trafficking.
Paula Simões' defense denies all accusations and highlights that no drugs were seized from the influencer.
Influencer Paula Simões, arrested in September on suspicion of involvement with the Italian mafia ’Ndrangheta, would be responsible for coordinating activities related to cocaine trafficking in Brazil as an operational heiress. This is because she would have assumed the position after the arrest of her husband, Patrick Assisi, and her father-in-law, Nicola Assisi, five years ago, in Praia Grande, on the coast of São Paulo.
The information comes from Federal Police (PF) investigations. Paula Simões' defense stated that she denies all the accusations and highlighted that no drugs were seized from the influencer.
With almost 30 thousand followers on Instagram, the influencer intermediated contact between South American suppliers and European investors, coordinating shipments of cocaine destined abroad and participating in the criminal organization's financial transactions.
According to investigators, Paula used the code name 'Chanel' on SkyECC, an encrypted messaging application, and was allegedly threatened by members of the 'Ndrangheta who discovered her extramarital relationship with Patrick Raasch Cardoso, a lawyer from Santos (SP), who was being investigated on suspicion of participation in the same international cocaine trafficking scheme.
Members of the Italian mafia reportedly warned that Paula's "head" was worth around €250,000 [approximately R$1.4 million currently] because she was enjoying trips and luxuries financed by drug trafficking with Patrick Cardoso, between 2019 and 2023.
The investigation also found that Paula and money changer Tharek Mourad Mourad, arrested by the PF in 2025, were involved in an illicit "dollar-cable/token" system, moving more than US$6 million from the activities of the so-called "Assis clan", between 2020 and 2021.
According to the investigation, the mechanism worked by delivering money to money changers and releasing cash in another country using "tokens", which could be validated by the serial number of a banknote.
The money, according to the PF, was used to purchase drugs, transfers to the Italian mafia and personal expenses. Among the new shipments, the corporation highlights the payment of US$1.47 million for a shipment of 300 kg of cocaine.
The woman has also been convicted of money laundering in the purchase of two apartments in São Paulo (SP). According to the Federal Court, the properties were acquired with money from her husband's drug trafficking.
The apartments in prime areas of the capital of São Paulo were purchased by Paula, in April 2015, for around R$1.9 million. In the scriptures, the woman was classified as single, but she formalized her marriage to Patrick four days after the first acquisition.
For the Federal Court, the transactions were carried out in the woman's name to hide the identity of the real owner and the illicit origin of the money. At the time, Paula said that the purchases were made in her name because Patrick did not yet have a CPF.
The money used in the transactions, according to them, would come from a company created by Patrick in partnership with Paula. The court found, however, that the company was created in August of that year, a date after the acquisitions.
Patrick Cardoso's defense stated that the lawyer has always acted within the limits of law throughout his 25-year career and that he has already submitted a request to revoke preventive detention.
Paula Simões' lawyer stated that she denies all the accusations and that no drugs were seized from her. According to the defense, the suspicion that criminal activities continued after the Assisi's arrest is an inference by the police authority, not proven facts.
