Federal Police probe puts Alexandre Pires at center of Yanomami mining inquiry

Federal Police probe puts Alexandre Pires at center of Yanomami mining inquiry
Federal Police have launched the second phase of Operation Disco de Ouro, an inquiry into suspected money laundering and document fraud linked to cassiterite illegally extracted from the Yanomami Indigenous Land in Roraima. The operation placed singer Alexandre Pires and businessman Matheus Possebon among its targets, but Pires’s legal team has rejected any connection between the artist and illegal mining.

Authorities say they executed 12 search-and-seizure warrants and obtained 17 court orders freezing assets and valuables. The measures are intended to gather evidence, halt suspected illegal activity and recover assets allegedly connected to the investigation. Investigators believe the wider group moved and concealed more than US$48 million through Brazilian and foreign companies, third-party accounts, international transactions and informal currency-transfer mechanisms.

The police account treats the latest action as an extension of an earlier inquiry into the mineral’s supply chain and export trade, including the alleged use of false paperwork to give transactions an appearance of legality. Officials say those investigated could face accusations including money laundering, criminal organization, false statements and irregular financial operations, depending on each person’s alleged role.

Pires’s defense, however, draws a firm line between the singer’s work and the conduct under investigation. It said his professional relationship with Possebon was “restricted to brokering the sale of the artist’s shows at the time,” with no other legal or commercial connection beyond Pires’s artistic activity.

The defense further said any facts being examined outside that arrangement concern actions attributed solely to the businessman, undertaken outside his role as an intermediary for Pires’s performances. In a separate statement cited in coverage of the operation, Pires’s lawyer said the singer “has never had any involvement with mining or mineral extraction, much less in Indigenous territory.” The case therefore turns on the investigators’ effort to establish links in the alleged financial network, against the artist’s insistence that none exists.

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