Faction leader on the coast of SP is wanted by the police for attacking PMs
Before the attacks against police officers during Operation Shield, in Baixada Santista, on the coast of São Paulo, there was an ongoing investigation involving Rogério do Nascimento Nunes, also known as 'Haunted'. He is suspected of having ordered the murder of Marcelo Cassola, who held the position of head of the identification sector at the Police Palace in Santos.
'Haunted', is wanted for the attack against PM Najara Gomes, on the coast of São Paulo - Photo Reproduction / Civil Police
According to information provided by the Santos Sectional Delegate, Rubens Eduardo Barazal, a leader of a faction active on the coast of São Paulo, known as 'Assombrado', due to his involvement in two attacks against police officers in the city of Santos, on the coast of São Paulo. During the incidents, a female Military Police corporal was shot in the back, while another officer was wounded in the groin. Fortunately, both received medical attention and are in the process of recovery.
Attack
On the day of the attack, individuals armed with rifles and pistols fired at two police officers who were in front of a bakery in Campo Grande, in Santos. PM Corporal Najara Gomes was hit in the back. Upon realizing that the criminals would return to execute her, her colleague in uniform, as information from the Secretary of Security of the State of São Paulo (SP), took a strategic position and surprised them with shots. The armed group fled, but attacked again in Morro do São Bento, a few kilometers away, where another police officer was shot, this time in the groin. Again there was an exchange of fire, and one of the criminals ended up being killed on the spot.
Barazal informed that a few hours after the attacks, the police managed to arrest two other bandits, who had their temporary arrests transformed into preventive arrests. The fourth member of the gang, nicknamed 'Haunted', was identified by the police on Friday (04).
'Haunted'
Rogério do Nascimento Nunes, 36 years old, known by the nickname 'Haunted', took control of an area called 'Pavilion 12', after his brother, Renato Pureza, was arrested in 2012 by the Special Action Group to Combat Organized Crime (Gaeco) in Santos (SP).
The faction leader was already wanted by the Civil Police for involvement in drug trafficking and for ordering the murder of Marcelo Gonçalves Cassola, head of the identification sector at the Police Palace. Cassola's body was found in October 2022, pierced by over 30 shots, with a rope tied between his hands and legs.
'Haunted' is under accusation not only for the murder of civil police officer Cassola, but also for receiving and trafficking drugs and now for the attack against military police officers that took place on Tuesday (1).
"We proved, effectively, that '['Haunted']he is a leader of the criminal faction in Morro do São Bento, where nothing and no crime happens without his permission, which is why his arrest has already been requested. We expect it to happen within the next few hours," said the delegate, adding,"Today, he is under the condition of wanted [...]. But there are many scouts in that region [Morro do São Bento] of difficult access. As soon as the scouts spot any strange situation, much more if we say that they are police, they immediately notify the leadership, who is him ['Haunted']. Obviously, he's already been a transit element in criminality for a long time, and he doesn't wait for the police to arrive", concluded Barazal.
Operation Shield
The Operation Escudo in Baixada Santista, located on the coast of São Paulo, resulted in the arrest of 128 individuals until the morning of Friday (04). Of this total, 102 offenders were detained by the Military Police and 26 by civil police. The action also resulted in 16 deaths, 12 in Guarujá and 4 in Santos.
According to the Public Security Secretariat of São Paulo (SSP-SP), over the seven days of operation, the police inspected 2,566 vehicles, of which 175 were seized, in addition to 1,421 motorcycles, of which 138 were collected. During the operation, ten vehicles were found with complaints of theft or theft. Until Thursday (03), 21 weapons had been seized, including pistols and rifles, and approximately 416 kg of drugs.
The SSP also reported that, in relation to the deaths that occurred during the operation, at least 10 of the victims had a criminal record for crimes such as theft, reception, drug trafficking, among others.
