Influencers Carlos Eduardo Araújo Sousa, 24, and Francisco Aldi Barros de Souza, 20, were targets of a Civil Police operation, on suspicion of promoting illegal raffles via social networks to launder money, in Cruz, in the northern region of Ceará. During the operation, Carlos Eduardo was arrested for the crime of unauthorized lottery, while Francisco Aldi was arrested for tampering with a motor vehicle identification signal, this Thursday (11). The pair were released at a custody hearing held by the State Court on the same day. The suspects' defense team could not be reached to comment on the arrest and operation. ✅ Click here to follow the g1 Ceará channel on WhatsApp One of the suspects was known on social media as "Balaclava do Grau", for participating in groups of "giving degree" on the motorcycle and publishing videos about the practice on social media. The arrests took place during Operation Fortuna, which carried out search and seizure warrants against the influencers. Two cars, three motorcycles, electronic devices and other materials of interest for investigation were seized from the suspects. Around R$300,000 from the suspects' bank accounts were also judicially blocked. The operation was coordinated by the Cruz Civil Police Station, with support from the Acaraú and Bela Cruz police stations. Draws were held in the northern region of the state of Ceará. Reproduction Money laundering According to the Secretariat of Public Security and Social Defense, investigations showed that the suspects used profiles with wide reach on social networks to publicize clandestine sweepstakes and lotteries without legal authorization. The amounts obtained from illicit activity were used, according to the investigation, in the acquisition of goods and the movement of financial resources with the aim of hiding the origin of the amounts. The suspects were charged with crimes related to the operation of clandestine lotteries and money laundering. One of them was also charged with tampering with a motor vehicle identification sign. READ ALSO: Woman arrested in London on suspicion of killing man in Fortaleza is acquitted Evangelical pastor is arrested for raping his daughters, stepdaughter and five other victims in Ceará Couple suspected of involvement in the murder of a businessman in Maranhão is arrested in Ceará The PCCE reinforced that the operation of raffles and draws without authorization from the competent bodies can constitute a criminal offense. The police forces pointed out that the investigations are ongoing with the aim of identifying others involved and deepening the financial tracking of the resources handled by those under investigation. The young people's vehicles were also seized, in addition to materials of interest for investigation, according to SSPDS Disclosure Custody hearings Carlos Eduardo Araújo Sousa and Francisco Aldi Barros de Souza had their arrest in the act approved by the Court, but they received provisional release with the application of precautionary measures, in a custody hearing. The judge rejected the defense's request to annul the arrest and understood that there was sufficient evidence of the crimes being investigated. Carlos was arrested for unauthorized lottery, while Aldi was arrested for tampering with a motor vehicle identification sign. Among the court's main arguments for granting freedom is that there were no requests for preventive arrests from the police authority. Furthermore, Carlos Eduardo and Francisco Aldi are first-time offenders and have good records. The alternative measures to prison applied to the two suspects are: keep the address updated before the Court; do not change address without prior notice; not be absent from the district for more than eight days without judicial authorization; attend all acts of the process; not get drunk in public or frequent bars, nightclubs and similar establishments; not promote or encourage virtual raffles and prize draws on social networks, directly or indirectly. Watch the most viewed videos from Ceará: