Brazil's Federal Police on Wednesday dismantled an international money-laundering scheme led by Norwegian citizens, which was active in the property market in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Norte, the state news agency ABR reported, according to dpa. Some 230 agents took part in the so-called Operation Paradise, set to enforce 11 prison warrants and 33 search and arrest warrants in the states of Rio Grande del Norte and Paraiba. Norwegian police and Interpol cooperated with Brazilian authorities in the investigation. The alleged criminals, apparently linked to the organization known as B-Gang, had bought property on Brazilian beaches with funds issued from criminal activities perpetrated in Norway. The group worked with a Brazilian lawyer who disguised the operations as legal, the police said. The wife and daughters of B-Gang's leader are Brazilian, and according to the police, the group's members often visit the South American country. The brother of the criminal organization's leader was arrested in March in Brazil when he tried to leave the country with a forged passport. The authorities presume that the suspects have been active in Brazil since 2002. They are expected to be tried for charges linked to tax evasion, money laundering and membership of a criminal organization, among others.
