Francimar Fernandes Carneiro, widely known as “Cimar Carneiro,” was a Brazilian criminal from Mossoró, Rio Grande do Norte, whose name became associated with a notorious criminal group that operated across several northeastern states. Contemporary reporting described him as a leading figure among the group known as the “Carneiros,” which had been investigated in connection with bank robberies and other serious offenses. According to reports published at the time, Cimar had previously been arrested and had escaped from custody in Ceará in December 2003.
In August 2005, Cimar became the subject of a major police operation in Lagarto, Sergipe. According to contemporary reports, he and members of his group had targeted a Banco do Brasil branch in the city. Police were conducting investigations in the area when the group was located, leading to an armed confrontation. Cimar was subsequently found dead at a rural property on the outskirts of Lagarto.
The Diário do Nordeste reported that the group had taken approximately R$1.07 million during the bank operation. The newspaper also described Cimar as an associate and cousin of Valdetário Carneiro, another prominent criminal figure from Rio Grande do Norte who had been killed in a police confrontation in 2003.
Cimar’s criminal history had already attracted attention before his death. Reports stated that he had received prison sentences exceeding forty years, had escaped from prison in 1999 and later escaped from the Federal Police facility in Fortaleza in 2003. Authorities subsequently searched for him across several northeastern states.
On August 2, 2005, Cimar was killed during the police operation in Sergipe. His body was later transported to Mossoró, where he was buried at São Sebastião Cemetery. His death marked the end of one of the most prominent criminal careers associated with the Carneiro group in northeastern Brazil.
SOURCES
Diário do Nordeste
Diário do Nordeste — Cimar Carneiro’s death and burial
Diário do Nordeste
Diário do Nordeste — Cimar Carneiro killed in Sergipe
Diário do Nordeste
Diário do Nordeste — Cimar Carneiro’s criminal history
Tribuna do Norte
Tribuna do Norte — The Carneiro group
Infonet Sergipe
Infonet — Release of Cimar Carneiro’s body
