Police Seize Seven Weapons in Raid Targeting Deputy Mario Frias

Brazil · Politics

Brazil’s Federal Police went looking for evidence about a film-financing scheme at the homes and offices of deputy Mario Frias — and walked out with his cell phone and a separate criminal case: seven guns registered in his name, stored at an address where he does not live.

Seven Guns at an Address That Is Not His

The weapons were found during one of the 49 searches executed on Thursday, September 10, across São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Ceará and the Federal District. All seven firearms are registered to Mario Frias, the former culture secretary under Jair Bolsonaro and now a first-term federal deputy for São Paulo. None of them was supposed to be where officers found them: the address is not Frias’s declared residence.

That mismatch matters under Brazilian law. A registered gun owner must keep weapons at the address filed with the Federal Police or the Army. Storing them elsewhere converts a paperwork problem into a criminal one — and police said the discovery will be investigated separately, as suspected illegal possession of a firearm. It is, in other words, a second legal front for Frias, independent of whatever the corruption probe eventually concludes.

Operation Make Up and the NGO Money Trail

The operation that brought officers to Frias’s door is called Make Up, and it was authorized by Supreme Court Justice Flávio Dino. Investigators suspect that roughly R$2 million (about US$394,000 at the current rate of around 5.08 reais per dollar) in parliamentary budget amendments was diverted to two non-profits linked to Karina Ferreira da Gama — the ICB institute and the National Academy of Culture, known as ANC.

Ferreira da Gama is the owner of Go Up Entertainment, the production company behind “Dark Horse,” a film project about the collapse of Banco Master. Go Up itself is not a target of the warrants; the two NGOs are. Police are investigating embezzlement, document forgery, money laundering, criminal organization and bidding-related crimes, and describe money flows in the wider scheme as running into the hundreds of millions of reais — at least US$20 million.

One strand predates the raid. Reporting in June had already flagged a R$1 million (about US$197,000) amendment destined for an entrepreneurship program that was never carried out. In May, questioned by the Supreme Court, Frias denied that his amendments had gone to “any film production.” Thursday’s searches — including the seizure of his phone — suggest investigators intend to test that denial against his messages and financial records.

The amendment web reaches further. Deputies Bia Kicis and General Pollon also assigned funds that were never disbursed; a former campaign aide to Senator Flávio Bolsonaro directed R$1 million (about US$197,000) to the producer’s orbit; and investigators noted that Ferreira da Gama bought an SUV with R$100,000 (about US$19,700) in cash — a classic red flag in money-laundering investigations.

The Dark Horse Connection

Operation Make Up does not exist in a vacuum. A parallel inquiry led by Justice André Mendonça is examining a plea bargain alleging that Banco Master money was channeled to the same “Dark Horse” film project at the request of Senator Flávio Bolsonaro — the story The Rio Times detailed in its coverage of the plea deal behind Brazil’s judicial crisis. Master’s collapse has already rippled through Brasília, including the cancelled Moraes speech that signaled how radioactive the bank’s name has become.

The senator reacted within hours, accusing Justice Dino of political interference — a charge with an obvious subtext. Flávio Bolsonaro is leading President Lula in runoff polling for October’s election, and an investigation touching his family’s allies, his former campaign staff and a film about a bank whose downfall embarrasses the establishment lands in the middle of the campaign. Dino, a former Lula justice minister, is precisely the villain the Bolsonaro camp would script for such a moment.

Frias, for his part, is one of the most visible culture-war figures of the Brazilian right — an actor turned politician who ran the culture portfolio in the Bolsonaro government. That profile guarantees the case will be fought as much on social media and campaign stages as in court.

What Comes Next

Three things to watch. First, the weapons case: whether prosecutors file illegal-possession charges is now largely a technical question, and it moves faster than a corruption trial. Second, the forensic accounting on the ICB and ANC transfers — and whether Frias’s seized phone contradicts his May testimony to the Supreme Court. Third, convergence: if Dino’s Make Up probe and Mendonça’s Dark Horse inquiry begin citing the same money flows, the two cases merge into the largest campaign-season scandal of 2026. With the first round weeks away, every procedural step will be read as a poll intervention — by both sides.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why was Mario Frias targeted by Federal Police?

Operation Make Up, authorized by Supreme Court Justice Flávio Dino, investigates the suspected diversion of about R$2 million (about US$394,000) in parliamentary amendments to two NGOs linked to Karina Ferreira da Gama, producer of the film “Dark Horse.” Police executed 49 search warrants in four states on September 10, 2026, and seized Frias’s cell phone.

What happened with the weapons found in the raid?

Officers found seven firearms registered to Mario Frias at an address that is not his declared residence. Because Brazilian law requires registered guns to be kept at the filed address, the discovery opened a separate investigation into illegal weapons possession, independent of the corruption probe.

What is the Dark Horse film case?

“Dark Horse” is a film project about the collapse of Banco Master, produced by Go Up Entertainment. A parallel Supreme Court inquiry is examining allegations, detailed in a plea bargain, that Banco Master funds were steered to the film at the request of Senator Flávio Bolsonaro. Operation Make Up now investigates whether congressional amendments also flowed to the producer’s NGOs.

Connected Coverage

The Dark Horse film sits at the crossroads of two Supreme Court inquiries — and of the 2026 campaign.

The Plea Deal Behind Brazil’s Judicial Crisis Is About a Film

Moraes Cancels Speech as Banco Master Fallout Spreads

Brazil Politics Coverage on The Rio Times

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