The Federal Revenue seized on Thursday 2.557 kg of emeralds in operation with the participation of the Federal Police that provoked the arrest of three people for the crime of falsifying the export of emeralds abroad.

The operation of the Federal Revenue involved teams from the Institution’s Police Station in Bauru, from the Customs Administration Division and from the Agency’s Research and Investigation Office in the state of São Paulo.

During the analysis activity of an emerald export registered in Porto Seco de Bauru (SP), the tax auditor responsible for the release of the precious stones suspected the high declared value: US $ 10.8 million, equivalent to approximately R $ 60 millions.

When reviewing the analysis, the tax auditor verified that the exporter did not have the economic capacity to purchase the goods and that the buyer abroad, a Brazilian resident in Mexico, could not make a purchase of this value either.

The Federal Police was called in to monitor the physical verification procedures for the goods and ensure the necessary security of the procedures. The gemologist accredited by the Federal Revenue declared that such stones have a commercial value of at most R $ 417 thousand.

Due to the flagrant fraud committed, the exporter and the dispatcher, the latter resident in Rio de Janeiro, were arrested, in addition to a third person involved in the crime and who was present at the time of the operation.

In addition to the practice of false declaration of the value of the goods, there are strong indications of fraudulent interposition, in which the existence of oranges is presumed to hide the real buyers and sellers of the stones. Investigators will continue to investigate the crimes committed.