A former leader of São Paulo’s city council faces an arrest request over a gang case. Police allege Milton Leite was responsible for running bus companies held by the PCC, a large Brazilian criminal gang based in São Paulo.
What We Know
Police in São Paulo, Brazil’s largest city, have indicted a former city council president in a gang case. The city’s bus network is a core part of daily life for its residents, and the PCC is a large Brazilian criminal gang.
São Paulo state’s Civil Police, the force that investigates crimes, has concluded its inquiry called Operation Vectura Corrupta. The findings, reported on 7 November 2026, cover how the PCC, short for Primeiro Comando da Capital, is alleged to have infiltrated public-transport companies in São Paulo state.
Police indicted Milton Leite and 12 other people, 13 in total in most reports, for taking part in a criminal organisation. An indictment is a police finding, not a conviction, and everyone named is presumed innocent.
Police also asked a court to order preventive arrest (prisão preventiva) of all 13. That means detention before trial with no end date, and the court has not yet ruled on the request.
Leite is a former president of São Paulo’s city council, the Câmara Municipal. He belongs to União Brasil, a Brazilian political party.
According to the police report, Leite was responsible for running bus companies held by the PCC. Police also say he is the real owner of Transwolff, a bus operator, which is an allegation and not a proven fact.
Leite has been in temporary detention (prisão temporária) since Friday 18 September 2026, when he turned himself in. Temporary detention is a limited period of custody that a judge can extend.
On Tuesday 20 October 2026, Leite was moved from the public jail in Mogi das Cruzes, in Greater São Paulo. He went to Provisional Detention Centre 2 in Guarulhos, over suspected privileges during his detention.
The state prosecutors’ office, the Ministério Público (MPSP), is expected to review the arrest request in the coming week. It will also decide whether to file formal charges.
If a court accepts the charges, the 13 become defendants, known in Portuguese as réus, on a criminal-organisation count. Even then, a defendant is not a convicted person.
The Palácio da Justiça, the São Paulo state court building in the city centre. Photo: Simone Cristina de Brito / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)Who Else Is Named
Levi dos Santos Oliveira, a former president of SPTrans, São Paulo’s municipal bus authority, is among the 13 indicted. Danilo Morgado Silva, a member of Brazil’s Liberal Party (PL), is also named.
Silva was a candidate for mayor of Praia Grande, a coastal city in São Paulo state, in an earlier election. Carla de Paula Muller, another of the 13, is the wife of Antônio José Muller Junior.
State prosecutors say Muller Junior is a PCC leader known as “Granada”. The defences of Oliveira, Silva and Muller have denied the accusations.
Other people among the indicted are not named in this article. Leite said on 18 September, when he turned himself in, that he denies any involvement; his defence had not commented on the new indictment.
What Is Not Known
It is not known when the court will decide on the preventive-arrest request. It is also not known whether prosecutors will file charges.
Reports differ on the exact number of people indicted, and it is unclear whether any charges would cover all of them. Those answers depend on the prosecutors’ review and on the court’s own timetable, which has not been announced.
The full police report has not been published. Leite’s own response is also unknown, since his defence had not commented when the news broke.
What It Means for Readers Abroad
An indictment is not a conviction, and all 13 people are presumed innocent. What happens next depends on prosecutors and a court, not on the police.
São Paulo is Brazil’s largest city, and its bus network is a core part of daily life for its residents. A case about who controls bus companies therefore touches a core part of city life.
The PCC is a large Brazilian criminal gang, and this inquiry examines its reach into public-transport firms. Readers should treat the claims as police allegations until a court has tested them.
Our earlier reports describe Leite’s surrender in Mogi das Cruzes on 18 September and an earlier police search in Sorocaba. More coverage is collected on our Brazil page.
The next signals to watch are the court’s answer on the arrest request and the prosecutors’ decision on charges. Neither has a confirmed date.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Milton Leite?
Milton Leite is a former president of São Paulo’s city council from the União Brasil party. Police indicted him with 12 others for taking part in a criminal organisation, and he has been in temporary detention since 18 September 2026.
What have police asked the court to do?
Police asked a court to order preventive arrest of all 13 indicted people. Preventive arrest means detention before trial with no end date, and the court has not yet ruled on the request.
Is Milton Leite guilty?
No court has found him guilty. An indictment is a police finding, not a conviction, and everyone named is presumed innocent. Police allege he was responsible for running bus companies held by the PCC.
What happens next?
State prosecutors are expected to review the arrest request in the coming week and decide whether to file formal charges. If a court accepts the charges, the 13 become defendants on a criminal-organisation count.
Sources: São Paulo Civil Police inquiry report on Operation Vectura Corrupta; São Paulo state prosecutors (MPSP) statements as cited in the report.