Jakarta, CNN Indonesia --

Brazilian authorities launched an operation in the state of Sao Paulo on Thursday (30/10) to combat money laundering carried out by one of the country's largest organized crime groups, First Capital Command (PCC).

PCC is alleged to have laundered nearly US$10 billion between 2020 and 2024 through the fuel production chain.

As reported by AFP, the operation came two days after Rio de Janeiro police carried out the deadliest raid ever against another major criminal faction, the Comando Vermelho, or Red Command, which killed 132 people.

These two criminal groups control the cocaine trade in Brazil, with a reach that extends throughout Latin America and, in the case of the PCC, as far as Europe.

In the operation, officers were deployed to Campinas, southeast of Sao Paulo, to execute nine arrest warrants and eleven search warrants, targeting"businessmen, influencers and drug traffickers," the prosecutor's office said in a statement.

Authorities also seized property and froze bank accounts.

The purpose of this operation is to eradicate money laundering by suspects who use schemes such as mixing funds from drug trafficking with legitimate business activities, the statement explained.

Local media reported that the operation resulted in four arrests and the death of one suspect. However, authorities have not confirmed the details.

Last August, police conducted a much larger operation that uncovered PCC's money laundering scheme in the fuel business.

Authorities say large sums of money are laundered through gas stations and then transferred to digital banks and payment apps known as fintech.

Last Thursday, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed a law to strengthen the fight against organized crime, including tougher penalties for individuals linked to such groups.

"We cannot accept that organized crime continues to destroy families, oppress the population, and spread drugs and violence throughout the city," Lula wrote on his official X account.

Lula stressed the need for coordinated cooperation that attacks the backbone of drug trafficking without endangering innocent police officers, children, and families.

He cited previous operations against PCC that had targeted the financial sector without causing any casualties.