Ex-São Paulo City Council President Target in Major PCC Transport Infiltration Probe
Police launched 'Operação Vectura Corrupta' targeting deep infiltration by the PCC crime syndicate into São Paulo's public bus system, with former City Council President Milton Leite among those sought on arrest warrants.
Authorities in São Paulo launched a major operation on Thursday, September 17, targeting the alleged deep infiltration of Brazil’s largest crime syndicate, the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC), into the city’s massive public transport system, with a prominent former political leader among the key targets.
The operation, dubbed Vectura Corrupta (Corrupt Carriage), saw São Paulo Civil Police and the Public Ministry serving 16 arrest warrants and 18 search and seizure warrants across the state. Among those sought on an arrest warrant is Milton Leite, a powerful figure in the União Brasil party who served seven terms as a city councilor and presided over the São Paulo City Council (Câmara Municipal) four times.
The investigation alleges that the PCC has gained financial and operational control over at least 12 bus companies in São Paulo, using them as vehicles to launder illicit funds and engage in systematic fraud during public tender processes. Leite is cited by investigators as an alleged direct operator of some of these PCC-controlled companies.
This probe exposes a stark example of how the PCC—an organization known internationally for its drug trafficking and prison control, but increasingly described by prosecutors as functioning like a modern transnational mafia—is corrupting public infrastructure at the heart of Brazil's economic engine. São Paulo is the country’s wealthiest and most populous city, and its vast urban bus network moves millions of workers daily.
Investigators have also identified the use of criminal funds to finance political campaigns, a common tactic for organized crime seeking to influence public power, known by the PCC as the "sintonia dos gravatas" (the 'lawyers' network'). The investigation is the third phase of a broader probe into the group’s political and financial operations, following previous actions like Operação Decúrio. Leite stated publicly that he is currently traveling but will present himself to authorities within 24 hours to prove his innocence.
The operation signals an aggressive new focus by authorities on the systemic political contamination caused by criminal organizations, suggesting that similar investigations targeting the intersection of crime and governance are likely to continue across Brazil.