BRAZIL · CRIME AND JUSTICE
Key Facts
- What is happening São Paulo state prosecutors filed closing arguments on 21 October, made public on 28 October, asking a court to convict fitness influencer Renato Cariani of three drug-related charges.
- Why it matters The case is about a legal laboratory-chemicals company allegedly used to feed cocaine and crack production, and about whether a famous online personality knew it. He has not been convicted.
- The numbers Prosecutors cite 59 allegedly fake chemical sales. If a judge accepted every count, lawyers calculate 16 years 4 months to 51 years 8 months, though Brazilian law caps time served at 40 years.
- Who is who Cariani is a partner in Anidrol, a lab-chemicals firm in Diadema. The São Paulo prosecutors’ office and its organised crime unit, Gaeco, brought the case, which the Federal Police first investigated.
- What to watch The defense must now file its own closing arguments within the legal deadline, after which a judge at the 3rd Criminal Court of Diadema decides, and either side can appeal.
- Power Index Brazil ranks 1st of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 75.0 points (October 2026 edition).
- What it means for you For US readers, this is a test of how Brazil polices industrial chemicals used to make cocaine. No US agency is named in the case, and the sources do not say where the drugs went.
Brazilian prosecutors want fitness influencer Renato Cariani convicted over a chemicals company they say fed drug labs. His lawyer says he will be acquitted.
Prosecutors in São Paulo have asked a court to convict Renato Cariani, a Brazilian fitness influencer, of drug trafficking and money laundering. The request was filed on Wednesday, 21 October 2026, and became public on 28 October, while Cariani is free during the case.
The prosecutors’ office, known as MP-SP, says a chemicals firm where Cariani is a partner sold inputs that fed cocaine and crack. Everything below is an allegation, no court has found him guilty, and his lawyer says the defense will contest every point.
What Prosecutors Are Asking For
The filing is the prosecution’s closing arguments, the last written step before a judge decides the case. It was made by MP-SP and Gaeco, the state prosecutors’ special unit against organised crime.
It asks the 3rd Criminal Court of Diadema, an industrial city in Greater São Paulo, to convict Cariani on three charges. They are association for drug trafficking, trafficking of raw materials used to make drugs, and money laundering.
The defense has not yet filed its closing arguments. After that, the judge will decide whether to convict or acquit, and either side can appeal.
The Alleged Chemical Scheme
Cariani is a partner in Anidrol Produtos para Laboratórios, a laboratory-chemicals company based in Diadema. Prosecutors say it simulated 59 sales of controlled chemical products to companies that never ordered them.
They allege the goods actually reached illegal laboratories making cocaine and crack. Invoices were allegedly issued in the names of large drug companies, and AstraZeneca is among the names mentioned.
Prosecutors also say messages from Cariani’s phone show he knew what the chemicals were used for. They allege he kept a close relationship with a civil police officer who oversees chemical products, to learn about inspections.
Who Else Is Named
Prosecutors also ask the court to convict two businessmen, Fábio Spindola Mota and Rodrigo Gomes Pereira. They describe Mota as the link between the company and buyers, and Pereira as the man who handled the money.
For two other people linked to Anidrol, prosecutors ask for acquittal, saying the evidence does not support criminal liability. Their names are not used here.
Cariani’s lawyer, Aldo Romani Netto, said the defense expected the request and will answer each point. He said the defense remains convinced that Cariani will be acquitted.
How the Case Got Here
The Federal Police, Brazil’s national police force, began the investigation in an operation called Hinsberg. In February 2024 the Diadema court accepted a complaint from MP-SP, which made Cariani and four others defendants.
That complaint spoke of about 60 transactions and 12 tonnes of chemicals, plus 2.4 million reais (about US$450,000) laundered through cash deposits. Conversions use the rate of 29 October 2026, 5.35 reais per US dollar.
In November 2025, Justice Cristiano Zanin of the Supreme Federal Court, Brazil’s top court, refused a defense request to annul the case. He ruled that the Federal Police had stayed within its legal powers.
The Penalty Range Explained
Lawyers who studied the filing put the theoretical range at 16 years 4 months to 51 years 8 months, plus fines. That adds the association charge, 59 trafficking counts and 59 laundering counts, if the judge accepts all.
It is a hypothetical projection, not a sentence set by a court. Brazilian law also caps the time a person can serve at 40 years.
What It Means for US Readers
The case shows how industrial chemicals can be diverted from legal trade into drug production, a risk drug makers everywhere face. Prosecutors say invoices carried the names of real drug companies that never placed the orders.
No US agency is named, and the sources do not say the cocaine reached the United States. Travellers and investors face no direct effect, but the outcome will signal how hard Brazil pursues chemical diversion.
Background is in earlier reports on Brazil halting drug batches, organised crime and candidate vetting and political killings after the election. More is on the Brazil hub and the São Paulo city page.
What Is Not Known
It is not known when the judge will rule or when the defense must file, because the sources give no date. Whether prosecutors put a value on the diverted goods in the new filing is also not stated.
The 21 October filing date comes from several secondary reports, not from the court record itself. The prosecutors’ filing and the court docket could not be opened.
The police officer is not named because only one source gives the name. The defendants Mota and Pereira had not publicly answered at the time of writing.
What Comes Next
The defense filing comes first, and it will challenge each point and seek acquittal. A first-instance ruling in Diadema would follow, and it would not be final while appeals are possible.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Renato Cariani?
Cariani is a Brazilian fitness influencer and businessman and a partner in the chemicals company Anidrol. He is free and has not been convicted.
What do prosecutors accuse him of?
They accuse him of association for drug trafficking, trafficking of drug-making raw materials and money laundering. These are allegations, and his lawyer says the defense will contest each point.
What did prosecutors ask the court on 28 October?
They filed closing arguments asking a Diadema criminal court to convict him and two businessmen. They asked for acquittal of two other people.
How long could a sentence be?
Lawyers calculate a theoretical 16 years 4 months to 51 years 8 months if every count is accepted. Brazilian law caps time served at 40 years.
What does the defense say?
Lawyer Aldo Romani Netto says the defense expected the request and will contest each point. He says he is convinced Cariani will be acquitted.
Sources: Ministério Público de São Paulo (MP-SP), Gaeco; Tribunal de Justiça de São Paulo, 3rd Criminal Court of Diadema; Polícia Federal, Operation Hinsberg; Supremo Tribunal Federal; exchange rate, open.er-api.com, 29 October 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
Brazil runoff, Sunday, October 25: When is the Brazil runoff election. Latest: Brazil runoff polls, Flávio 51%, Lula 49%.