International Journal on Criminology Volume 6, Number 1, Spring 2018 | Page 19

International Journal on Criminology
If the government changed its attitude towards the Bicheiros it was partly
because, as well as managing the lottery, they were also smugglers, bringing
quantities of foreign products into Brazil. Rather than the game, it was this that
pushed the military—under the pretext of nationalism and national industry—
to crack down on some criminals. However, this attitude did not last: although
Castor was reined in by the military in 1969, by 1980 he was having a heyday. He
established himself as the most powerful bicheiro, protected by an untouchable
reputation. The book Mémorias de uma guerra suja discloses statements by police
chief Cláudio Guerra, one of the harshest men engaged in the machinery of
repression, which show that Castor held shares in a metallurgical plant (Indústria
e Metalúrgica Castor) belonging to the father-in-law of Johnny Figueiredo, son of
the president at that time, General João Batista Figueiredo. 27 According to Guerra,
Castor became so close to the military that he had a badge giving him free access
to the marine intelligence service.
It was therefore, ironically, during the years of lead that this bogus government
offensive against the barons of the game took place. It was then that Anísio
Abrahão David and Ailton Guimarães Jorge, alias “Capitão Guimarães,” stepped
into a void left by the arrest of minor bicheiros and became important figures in
the animal game. Thanks to their respective links with the world of politics and the
military, these two men helped the Bicheiros to infiltrate the state by corrupting its
agents, especially by co-opting policemen and soldiers. Once their sphere of influence
was firmly established, they could run their businesses without constraints.
The story of how Capitão Guimarães joined the Bicheiros is emblematic
of the relationship between the dictatorship and criminals. 28 When the military
took power, Guimarães was an officer, a product of the prestigious Agulhas Negras
Military Academy. Trained in an atmosphere of discipline and hierarchy, he put
his background to use to support the realization of his ambitions. Guimarães recognized
that from his rank he would never become a general. In 1981, the career
of the “captain” came to an end. After nineteen years in the army, seven of which
he spent suspended for unlawful activities, Guimarães dedicated himself to games
of chance.
Making the most of his experience, he became one of the capi of the animal
game. His years in the military police had taught him to use violence against his
enemies (the left-wing opposition, seen as communist by the military). He had
also forged relationships within the forces of law and order, which would later
protect him. These were useful competencies and connections.
Casting aside everything he had learnt at the Military Academy, Guimarães
brought the military and the Bicheiros closer together and obtained the government’s
complicity for the new chiefs of the cupola known as Club Baron de
27 Rogério Medeiros and Marcelo Netto, Mémórias de uma guerra suja (Rio de Janeiro: Topbooks,
2012).
28 Aloy Jupiara and Chico Otavio, Os porões da contravenção, chap. 1, 3 - 6.
16