PCC-linked businessmen strike plea deal in Bahia tax evasion probe

The recent Operation Khalas, spearheaded by the Bahia Public Prosecutor's Office, has exposed a vast tax evasion scheme with alleged ties to the powerful First Capital Command (PCC) criminal organization. The operation, which led to the arrest of three state public servants, was triggered by the plea bargains of businessmen Roberto Augusto Lemes da Silva, known as Beto Louco, and Mohamad Hussein Mourad, or Primo.

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The businessmen Roberto Augusto Lemes da Silva, the 'Beto Louco', and Mohamad Hussein Mourad, the 'Primo', were pointed out as the main elements of a billion-dollar scheme by the First Capital Command (PCC), which aimed to launder money through the production chain of gas stations.

These businessmen are accused of being central figures in a multi-billion dollar operation by the PCC, using fuel stations as a front for money laundering. This isn't the first time these individuals have been under scrutiny. In August 2025, Operation Carbono Oculto, a large-scale investigation spanning 10 states, already targeted a similar scheme. Beto and Primo were considered fugitives after that operation, with arrest warrants issued in October of the previous year.

The scale of the alleged fraud is staggering, with an estimated R$400 million lost to public coffers. Investigations suggest that the group, operating under the umbrella of companies like Aster and Copape, manipulated millions of liters of fuel in Bahia since 2023. Mohamad Hussein Mourad, through his fuel distribution company Aster, was reportedly at the epicenter of these operations, allegedly building a criminal network with family, associates, and hired professionals to facilitate tax fraud, asset concealment, and money laundering.

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The group Copape/Aster had also been monitored by the National Agency of Petroleum (ANP).

While their plea bargains were initially rejected by prosecutors in São Paulo and the Attorney General's Office, they ultimately reached an agreement with the Bahia Public Prosecutor's Office. This development, as reported by Estadão, highlights the complex and often opaque nature of investigations into organized crime and financial fraud in Brazil. The involvement of a major criminal faction like the PCC raises significant concerns about the reach and influence of such groups within the country's economic infrastructure.

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The organization criminal of which both were part allegedly adulterated 11 million liters of fuel in Bahia since 2023, according to investigations by the MP, Civil Police and State Finance Secretariat.