Brazilian Mobsters Strike Gold with Broadband

At the height of the pandemic, a police detective in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil discovered a different kind of outbreak. Reuters reported that while investigating service outages in a low-income, urban neighborhood, detective Gabriel Ferrando found that a new service provider, funded by an accused drug and arms trafficker with ties to a Brazilian crime syndicate, was now in charge.

Ferrando uncovered that the new ISP on the block was up and running using stolen equipment, including some from broadband provider TIM SA. According to Ferrando, residents could sign up for the service or do without the internet. 

Reuters reported that Fernando asked state prosecutors to pursue charges against the alleged pirates in February. To date, no charges have been filed. Continue Reading