Marcelo Johnny Viana Bastos, known as “Pica-Pau,” became one of the most prominent names in organized-crime investigations in Rio Grande do Norte in 2025. Authorities identified him as a leading figure in a criminal organization known as “Novo Cangaço,” which was investigated for a series of violent robberies and other offenses in the state and neighboring regions.
According to Rio Grande do Norte police, Marcelo was considered the state's most wanted criminal during the months preceding his death. Investigators also believed that the organization had connections outside Rio Grande do Norte, particularly in Pernambuco and Paraíba. These assessments came from ongoing police investigations and should be distinguished from individual allegations that were not established through final convictions.
The investigations into Marcelo intensified during 2025. Police linked his name to cases involving robberies, attacks against financial targets, stolen vehicles and homicides. Authorities also investigated his possible participation in the killing of Maria Bruna Pereira Assunção, who was shot during an incident in Ceará-Mirim in July 2025. Police attributed the case to Marcelo's criminal network, although the accusations remained part of the investigation because he died before facing trial for those allegations.
Another investigation concerned a robbery at a supermarket in Natal in August 2024. The operation involved an attack against a valuables-transport company and resulted in the death of a security guard. Police later identified Marcelo as one of the people suspected of involvement in the case.
By July 2025, authorities had spent months attempting to locate Marcelo. Investigators eventually identified a property in the Portal do Sol area of Extremoz, in Greater Natal, where they believed he was staying.
The resulting operation, known as Operation Cratos, began on July 26, 2025. More than one hundred police officers participated in the operation, which involved units from the Military Police, Civil Police and other law-enforcement agencies. Marcelo was surrounded inside a residence along with other people.
Police said negotiations were attempted to persuade him to surrender. Family members, including his sister, participated in efforts to establish communication with him. According to authorities, however, he did not surrender and the confrontation continued for more than twenty hours.
The operation ended on July 27 with Marcelo's death. Another man and a woman who were inside the residence also died, while several police officers were injured. Authorities reported that the confrontation involved an exceptionally large number of shots and that firearms and other evidence were recovered from the location.
The scale of Operation Cratos made Marcelo's death a major event in the recent security history of Rio Grande do Norte. Brazilian media described the operation as one of the largest armed confrontations recorded in the state, while authorities emphasized that the investigation into the organization continued after his death.
Marcelo's death also meant that many of the allegations under investigation could not result in a criminal trial against him. His established judicial record must therefore be distinguished from accusations and police suspicions concerning crimes for which no final judgment was possible after his death.
His case nevertheless became an important chapter in the investigation of organized robberies in northeastern Brazil. Authorities described the group associated with him as having an interstate structure, with investigations extending beyond Rio Grande do Norte.
Marcelo Johnny Viana Bastos died at the age of thirty-two during Operation Cratos in Extremoz. His name remains associated in Brazilian police and media records with the investigations into the organization identified as Novo Cangaço and with the extensive police operation that ended his fugitive status.
SOURCES
UOL Notícias — Police siege and the investigation into Marcelo Pica-Pau
Folha de S.Paulo — Death of Rio Grande do Norte's most wanted fugitive
Tribuna do Norte — Operation Cratos and the death of Marcelo Pica-Pau
AGORA RN — Police investigation into Marcelo Pica-Pau
Câmara dos Deputados — 2025 document concerning Operation Cratos and Marcelo Pica-Pau
