Brazil breaks up China-linked US$190m money-laundering ring tied to crime gang

The Primeiro Comando da Capital, or PCC, syndicate allegedly sold imported consumer electronics throughout Brazil via a Chinese e-commerce platform called “Knup Brasil”, including mobile phone chargers, electronic scales and other accessories at competitive prices.

According to São Paulo police, customers placed orders through the platform but were instructed to transfer payments via Brazil’s instant payment system, Pix, to separate companies with no legitimate commercial activity.

Invoices were allegedly issued at artificially reduced values by third-party firms, creating what investigators described as a deliberate mismatch between declared income and actual cash flow.