“CVnet”: operation against Comando Vermelho arrests Oruam’s mother and brother

Operation Backbone was a Federal Police investigation into internet services allegedly controlled by the Comando Vermelho. It examined how the faction turned a basic service into a source of money and influence in several Rio de Janeiro communities. The case matters because residents were reportedly denied free choice of provider, while rival companies faced threats and attacks.

The PF says Márcia Gama and Lucas Santos Nepomuceno were arrested preventively because they are suspected of involvement in this internet-supply scheme. Criminals allegedly cut cables, destroyed equipment, and threatened competing companies. Residents in Alemão, Penha, and Chapadão were then pushed toward providers authorized by the faction. Those providers paid monthly fees to keep operating.

The arrests do not establish guilt. Márcia and Lucas remain under investigation and had not been convicted, while their defenses had not commented by the latest update. Oruam was not among the targets publicly identified by the PF. The operation had 20 arrests in its latest tally and included asset freezes of up to R$558 million.

The Comando Vermelho is identified in the article as a criminal faction involved in drug trafficking and other illegal revenue activities. The text shows that its reach can extend beyond drugs into services used every day. That makes the group more than a street-level criminal presence: it can interfere with businesses, residents, and local economic life.

In the internet scheme, the faction allegedly protected selected providers and forced residents to use them. Criminals reportedly cut cables, destroyed equipment, and threatened competing companies. The authorized providers then paid the faction a monthly fee to continue operating. This arrangement combined coercion, control over infrastructure, and regular payments.

The article presents the internet business as evidence that organized crime has diversified its income. In Penha, internet service reportedly produced more than 40% of the faction’s monthly revenue. The investigation and proposed action against providers show an effort to challenge that model. However, the people arrested remain suspects, not convicted offenders, and the article does not detail the faction’s broader hierarchy.

The faction allegedly controlled internet access by restricting which companies could operate in the three complexes. According to the Federal Police, criminals attacked competing networks and used threats to prevent rival providers from serving residents. This transformed internet access from a normal market service into one controlled by an armed group.

The mechanism was direct. Cables were cut and equipment was destroyed, making independent service unreliable or impossible. Companies linked to or authorized by the Comando Vermelho were then allowed to operate. Residents had to contract those providers, while the companies paid a monthly fee to the faction for continued permission to work.

The arrangement affected both household choice and business competition. The article reports that internet service represented more than 40% of the group’s monthly revenue in the Penha complex. The PF investigation led to arrests, searches, and a request for action against the providers’ authorizations. The reported scheme also illustrates how control over infrastructure can give criminal groups daily influence over entire neighborhoods.

The largest financial figure in the article is the claim that internet service produced more than 40% of the Comando Vermelho’s monthly revenue in the Penha complex. That figure shows how important a basic service had allegedly become to the faction’s finances. The article does not provide a total monthly amount in reais.

Operation Backbone was extensive. The latest balance cited in the article recorded 20 arrests. Alexandre de Moraes, a minister of the Supreme Federal Court, authorized 23 preventive-prison warrants and 24 search-and-seizure warrants. The Justice also ordered the blocking of up to R$558 million in assets and funds.

The operation reached beyond Rio de Janeiro. A councilman, Fábio Silva Costa, was arrested in Londrina, Paraná, and denies involvement. The Anatel is expected to be called on to cancel authorizations held by investigated providers. Because the investigation is ongoing, the figures describe police and judicial action, not final convictions or proven criminal liability for every person targeted.

When an armed group controls internet access, residents lose normal consumer choice over an essential service. They may have to use a provider selected by the group, accept its conditions, or go without a connection. This matters because internet access supports ordinary daily life, yet the article describes it being governed by coercion rather than open competition.

The article gives a concrete example from São Gonçalo. A resident using the fictitious name Vitória da Silva said she could not choose her operator and once stayed without connection for more than a month. In Alemão, Penha, and Chapadão, the PF says criminals cut cables, destroyed equipment, and threatened competing companies. Providers authorized by the faction paid monthly fees to operate.

The effects reach businesses as well as households. Rival companies can be excluded, while residents become dependent on the approved network. The article also reports that attacks on telecom companies left about 90% of Caridade, Ceará, without internet in March 2025. These cases show criminal groups gaining revenue and practical control over essential services.

The Federal Police led Operation Backbone and investigated how the Comando Vermelho allegedly controlled internet providers. It identified reported tactics such as cable cutting, equipment destruction, and threats against competitors. The PF also carried out arrests and searches, including the preventive arrests of Márcia Gama and Lucas Santos Nepomuceno.

The Supreme Federal Court, through Minister Alexandre de Moraes, authorized 23 preventive-prison warrants and 24 search-and-seizure warrants. The Justice also ordered the blocking of up to R$558 million in assets and funds. These measures give the investigation legal tools to detain suspects, gather evidence, and restrict access to suspected proceeds.

Anatel, the telecommunications regulator, will be called on to cancel the authorizations of providers under investigation. That could disrupt the business structure allegedly used by the faction. The article does not say that cancellations had already occurred. It also emphasizes that Márcia and Lucas remain under investigation and have not been convicted, while Fábio Silva Costa denies involvement.

Organized-crime groups can expand into services when those services are essential, widely used, and difficult for residents to avoid. Internet access creates regular demand and can produce recurring payments. The article reports that providers authorized by the faction paid monthly fees, while residents were allegedly forced to use them. This turns a necessary service into both income and leverage.

The mechanism depends on controlling access and removing alternatives. The PF says criminals cut cables, destroyed equipment, and threatened competing companies in Alemão, Penha, and Chapadão. In Penha, internet reportedly supplied more than 40% of the faction’s monthly revenue. The article also describes a resident who could not choose her operator and spent over a month without connection.

These facts reveal a serious gap between formal public authority and daily life in affected neighborhoods. An armed group can influence which companies operate and what residents can buy. The arrests, asset blocking, and possible cancellation of provider authorizations show attempts to restore legal oversight. The article does not claim that those measures have already ended the broader problem.