A Military Police unit inside Brasília's Papuda prison complex has shifted from a support role into a detention site for high-profile detainees, according to single-source reporting from Revista Oeste. The 19th Battalion of the Federal District Military Police, known as Papudinha, now houses former government officials, police officers and financial executives tied to politically sensitive cases.
Revista Oeste says the facility currently holds former Justice Minister Anderson Torres, former Federal Highway Police chief Silvinei Vasques, former Brasília Regional Bank (BRB) president Paulo Henrique Costa, former INSS president Alessandro Stefanutto, former Banco Master controller Daniel Vorcaro, and five former colonels of the Federal District Military Police. INSS is Brazil's national social security institute.
From Support Unit to Custody
Papudinha was originally created to reinforce security at the Papuda prison complex, one of Brasília's main detention areas. Its role began to change in 2016, when the local criminal enforcement court concluded that the battalion could serve as a "sala de Estado-Maior," a special custody arrangement available in some cases to lawyers and certain officials.
The first detainee held there under that status was Benedito Domingos, a former deputy governor of the Federal District. Over time, court orders began sending authorities and suspects under review by Brazil's Supreme Federal Court (STF) to the unit.
Revista Oeste reports that Jair Bolsonaro's passage through the site before house arrest helped consolidate a wing for detainees linked to STF cases. The former president's earlier cell is now occupied by Daniel Vorcaro, whose transfer required changes inside the facility.
Separate Routines
The Federal Police are investigating an alleged relationship between Vorcaro and Paulo Henrique Costa that includes suspicions of bribe payments to the former BRB president, according to the report. To prevent contact between the two men, the Military Police increased monitoring and created alternating outdoor-time schedules.
Revista Oeste says Costa has spent much of the day meeting with lawyers during hours authorized by the STF while trying to advance a plea-bargain negotiation. The Federal Public Prosecutor's Office has officially rejected that proposal, according to the source.
Silvinei Vasques has reportedly used part of his time to study, as has Jorge Eduardo Naime Barreto, a former commander in the Federal District Military Police operations department. Family members and lawyers told the outlet that the five detained colonels have developed a more stable routine inside the unit after setting aside earlier disputes.
Legal Status in Dispute
Papudinha is located inside the Papuda complex, next to Brasília's federal penitentiary, a maximum-security unit run by Brazil's federal government. The police unit has capacity for 60 detainees and currently holds 52 people, distributed in collective rooms for four or ten occupants.
The Federal District Military Police argues that Papudinha should be formally recognized as a prison. Its position is that the site no longer holds only police officers and now detains people with no link to the force. The agency also says the change could open access to federal or local prison-system funding, while current costs come from the Military Police budget.
Vorcaro's stay has also raised a legal question because special custody in a sala de Estado-Maior is usually reserved for people with a specific legal prerogative, such as lawyers or certain public authorities. Vorcaro does not fit that category, but STF Justice André Mendonça authorized his transfer to Papudinha, citing specific circumstances, including a concrete risk to his physical safety.
Visitation rules differ sharply across the three nearby facilities. Revista Oeste reports that Papudinha allows family visits twice a week for one hour, while Papuda allows shorter visits and the federal penitentiary permits no physical contact, with communication by telephone through glass. None of the cited detainees has the right to conjugal visits.