Castor de Andrade

Who was Castor de Andrade?

Castor Gonçalves de Andrade e Silva was a well-known bicheiro in Rio de Janeiro. Since the 1980s, Castor de Andrade was the uncontested leader of all the main bicheiros of the city of Rio de Janeiro, and had more than 100 policemen and a number of public servants, prominent politicians, and judges working for him. Castor was also very involved in the Brazilian Carnival and in soccer—he was the major sponsor of Bangu Atlético Clube and even called the "owner of Bangu", and he was also the patron of samba school Mocidade Independente de Padre Miguel. He also helped found in 1984 the Liga Independente das Escolas de Samba do Rio de Janeiro, which has run the Rio de Janeiro Carnival ever since and has served as the legal cover for the "jogo do bicho cartel".

In 1993, Castor de Andrade and 13 other major bicheiros were arrested. They were each convicted to six years of prison, but Castor obtained a habeas corpus and was released in the same year. In March 1994, a subsequent operation managed to break Castor's stronghold. Documents revealed the names of the many policemen, politicians, judges, public servants, and other prominent people who were profiting from his illegal activities. After his death in April 1997, the heirs to his fortune began fighting each other over the inheritance, and this led to the murder of his son, Paulo de Andrade, in October 1998.