A GBP 285,000 gold necklace seen here being gifted to Neymar by a popular influencer has triggered a police investigation into the source of the gold item, uncovering a suspected network dealing in stolen gold.
The necklace that attracted police attention came onto their radar when it was presented to Neymar during the Ney em Alto Mar cruise, which departed from Santos in Sao Paulo state, southeastern Brazil, in December 2023.
Content creator Buzeira, who has more than 15.5 million Instagram followers, posted images of himself alongside the footballer and said he had given him the extravagant chain after noticing that Neymar liked it.
The influencer said: “I decided to give a present to a guy who is my biggest reference. I gave my chain in the form of a medal. Few people will reach where this guy has.”
The necklace featured precious stones, a carved crown and the number “00” set into the design, with Buzeira claiming that it was worth BRL 2 million (GBP 284,600).
The lavish gift attracted the attention of Sao Paulo Civil Police, who were already investigating Buzeira over possible irregularities involving online raffles.
Investigators used social media posts about the necklace to identify Douglas Bonetti Rocha, known as “Jimmy”, who had made the piece.
Douglas was summoned and questioned in January 2024, when he reportedly told police that he purchased gold from several different suppliers as well as through auctions held by Caixa Economica Federal, Brazil's state-owned bank.
He presented investigators with an invoice worth BRL 720,000 (GBP 102,400), for gold used in his business.
A police officer later told the court that the origin of all the gold used in the necklace could not be established, prompting investigators to open a new inquiry specifically into Douglas and the source of his gold.
The officer said that police never obtained the necklace itself, no expert examination was carried out to determine its real value and there was no proof that the gold used to make it had come from criminal activity.
Neymar was not investigated in the case and there was no indication that the footballer had any involvement in the suspected criminal network.
He appeared in the proceedings because he had received the necklace and was later heard as a witness.
The investigation into Douglas then expanded after police examined financial intelligence and communications, eventually identifying links with Rony Goncalves, who had worked for years in central Sao Paulo's jewellery district known as the “Gold Street”.
According to investigators, Rony allegedly acted as an intermediary between people obtaining stolen gold jewellery and businesses willing to buy it.
Police alleged that stolen rings, chains and other gold jewellery were passed to intermediaries before being sold to traders, who could melt down the pieces and transform them into another form.
The process allegedly made it difficult to identify the original jewellery and allowed the gold to be returned to the legitimate market while concealing its criminal origin.
Prosecutors alleged that Rony was a permanent supplier to traders and that transactions took place “almost every day”.
Rony denied being part of a criminal organisation, saying he knew Douglas because they worked in the same area and that he had only carried out occasional gold transactions with him.
He also told investigators that he had met Suedna Barbosa Carneiro, known as "Mainha do Crime" ("Mum of Crime"), after she visited his business as a customer before later contacting him about selling gold.
Rony said he travelled to Paraisopolis to negotiate with her and claimed he did not know the jewellery could have been stolen.
Investigators disputed that account and alleged that Rony was the link between people involved in property crimes and traders who purchased the gold.
Suedna was allegedly a strategically placed figure in a group involved in obtaining stolen jewellery and gold, according to the investigation.
The inquiry eventually became Operation Ouro Reverso (Operation Reverse Gold), with its first phase launched in May 2025.
During that operation, police seized approximately BRL 2.7 million (GBP 384,000) worth of gold and jewellery, BRL 157,000 (GBP 22,325) in cash, phones, computers and documents, as well as recovering 16 gold rings from businesses in central Sao Paulo.
Rony was among the main targets of the first phase and was arrested after being identified by investigators as one of the suspected principal negotiators of stolen gold and jewellery.
The second phase of the operation was launched across Sao Paulo and neighbouring Guarulhos on 24th August, targeting further alleged members of the network.
Police carried out 28 search warrants and four arrest warrants as officers investigated the suspected chain from the theft of jewellery through to its reception, processing and resale.
The raids included the central Sao Paulo area known to investigators as the “Circle of Fire”, where companies were allegedly involved in buying jewellery obtained through crimes and melting down the gold.
Around 60 police officers took part in the operation alongside auditors from Sao Paulo's tax authorities and Caixa Economica Federal valuers, who helped assess and secure jewellery and other valuables seized during the raids.
A court also ordered the freezing of around BRL 34.6 million (GBP 4.9 million) in assets and accounts linked to those under investigation.
According to Sao Paulo's Public Security Secretariat, the investigation resulted in Douglas being convicted of criminal organisation and aggravated handling of stolen goods and sentenced to seven years in prison.
Two owners of shops in central Sao Paulo and another alleged receiver were also convicted, although the authorities said only the latter was in custody, with Douglas and the other convicted suspects reported to be fugitives.
The investigation continues.
(Marija Stojkoska/Newsflash)
