In a coordinated operation, São Paulo police arrested the final two suspects linked to a Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) plan to kill authorities in the state’s interior. The detentions took place on Friday, August 14, 2026, in the municipalities of Presidente Prudente and Álvares Machado.
Investigation background
The probe, which began in October 2025, uncovered a PCC structure tasked with gathering information on the routines and movements of public officials. According to the police investigation, the cell aimed to use that data to plan attacks on specific targets. Among those identified was Lincoln Gakiya, a prosecutor with the Grupo de Atuação Especial de Combate ao Crime Organizado (Gaeco) of the São Paulo Ministry of Public Ministry and a leading investigator of the PCC. Another target named in the inquiry was a public servant linked to the penitentiary administration of western São Paulo.
Investigators said the network collected data on officials’ schedules, travel routes and personal habits to facilitate potential assaults. By monitoring these details, the PCC sought to identify windows of opportunity for violent action. The operation enabled law enforcement to identify the participants and interrupt the plot before it reached the execution stage.
The Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) is Brazil’s largest prison‑based criminal faction, known for orchestrating riots, drug trafficking and lethal violence. The Gaeco is a specialized unit within the state’s Ministry of Public Ministry dedicated to investigating organized crime.
Arrests and next steps
The two men apprehended on August 14 were described as the last individuals still at large among those investigated. They were located by teams from the Civil Police and Military Police. With their capture, police consider the investigative phase of the operation complete.
Authorities will now focus on analyzing the evidence gathered during the months‑long inquiry and advancing the criminal proceedings against the detained suspects and any other individuals charged in the case. The police emphasized that the preventive measures taken have disrupted the PCC’s capacity to organize further attacks on officials in the region.
All details in this report are based on the account provided by O Globo.