Federal Police Bust Coffee-Export Cocaine Scheme in Raids Across Four Brazilian States

Overview

• The Federal Police, which launched Operation Off-Grade Coffee on Thursday, served three preventive arrest warrants and seven search orders in Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais, and São Paulo as part of Missão Redentor II.
• Media accounts cite up to three arrests, with detentions confirmed in Vila Velha and in Santos linked to shipments routed through the Port of Rio.
• Investigators say the group hid cocaine inside coffee containers and used shell companies and front people to pose as legitimate exporters.
• The probe began after officers in June 2025 seized about 1.2 tonnes of cocaine hidden in a coffee container destined for Germany.
• Police identified signs of money laundering through bank transfers, and judges ordered contact bans, travel limits, and electronic monitoring, with potential charges including international drug trafficking, criminal organization, money laundering, and falsified records.