Entertainment
16 March 2022
Link copied to clipboardSão Paulo, March 16, 2022 - On Wednesday, March 16, Netflix released the documentary series 3 Ton$: The Great Robbery of Brazil's Central Bank, which brings to life the story and the investigation behind one of the biggest-ever robberies in Brazil. The crime, practically ripped from a heist movie, took place in 2005 in Fortaleza, in the Brazilian state of Ceará. Now, for the first time, this documentary reveals never-before-seen statements—including those of criminals.
In August 2005, using a tunnel nearly 80 meters long, robbers made their way into the bank’s vault and escaped with more than 160 million reais—or nearly 3.5 tons of cold, hard cash. The case stayed in the headlines in Brazil for years. It seemed like the perfect crime, but extortion, kidnappings and murders followed in its wake.
Here are some of the most surprising details from the investigation and the heist itself, as well as some behind-the-scenes information from filming.
FACTS ABOUT THE HEIST
The group set up a fake storefront selling artificial turf near the bank. Then they worked in rotating, around-the-clock shifts of up to seven people to dig the tunnel using garden shovels.
The tunnel had a ventilation system, lighting and an intercom (they didn’t want to leave evidence by using phones). An estimated 900 wooden planks were used in constructing the tunnel.
The fake documents belonging to the store’s “owner,” Paulo Sérgio, showed his birthdate as 08/05/1968—the same month and day that the gang carried out the robbery.
Paulo Sérgio kept up excellent relationships with the neighbors to ensure they wouldn’t become suspicious. In an effort to make the business seem real, he even handed out baseball caps with the company’s name printed on them at a nightclub he frequented.
After the heist, all the police found in the Central Bank’s vault was a hole...but they didn’t realize it was the entrance to a 75-meter-long tunnel. Only a thin person could fit through, and officer Enéas Sobreira decided to go for it, without knowing who or what he would find. He crawled for an hour until he reached the end of the tunnel.
During their escape, some members of the group used false names and documents, but with real photos, which made it possible for the police to identify them. There was even a literary homage: Fernando Carvalho used the name Fernando Vinícius de Moraes, an allusion (perhaps) to the famous poet Vinicius de Moraes.
After the heist, the Civil Police checked used car lots for clues about vehicles that might have been acquired to transport the money from Fortaleza. They learned that, in order to escape the bank with part of the money, 6 million reais were hidden in brand-new cars inside a car-carrier truck.
FACTS ABOUT RECONSTRUCTING THE TUNNEL FOR THE DOCUMENTARY
In order to depict what happened, the production team rebuilt the underground passage in a hangar in the town of Embu das Artes near São Paulo. Not only are the dimensions nearly identical, but so are the objects found inside, such as fans, pipes for A/C, light fixtures, bottles of water and energy drinks, and ropes. The team used photos of the interior provided by the Federal Police, as well as statements.
The wooden structure was three meters high and eight meters long. It was covered in several layers of dirt and clay to look like a hole in the ground.
Openings could be made on the sides and the front of the tunnel so that cameras could track the movement of the robbers during the reenactments.
Overhead, three meters above the floor, part of the business in Fortaleza that served as a front was rebuilt, including a parquet floor like the one in the real building.
Recording inside the tunnel lasted only one day, but it took a team of seven people 15 days to build the structure.
An eight-person team worked on reproducing the objects that were found in the original tunnel, such as energy drinks. They had to rely on archives, among other places, as the containers of the time were made of glass.
They also had to reproduce the old 50-real note, since those were what was originally stolen. Many were dirt-stained, since the robbers lost some of the notes as they dragged the money through the tunnel.
THE HEIST, BY THE NUMBERS
34 criminals directly involved in the robbery
75 meters of tunnel and approximately 11 hours to carry out the robbery
164,500,000 reals stolen - 3.5 tons of 50-real bills with non-trackable serial numbers
5 years of investigation involving more than 200 federal police officers from multiple states
More than 160 people engaged in money laundering in the years following the heist
In total, 129 people indicted either due to direct involvement in the robbery or money laundering; nearly 500 witnesses testified
2,452 years of prison when all of the sentences from the initial trial were added up
THE DOCUMENTARY, BY THE NUMBERS
3 months of research
2 months of negotiating to get one of the group’s leaders to talk about the case
6 months of production
4 months of post-production
More than 30 people interviewed
95 hours of material filmed (75 hours of documentary footage and 20 hours of reenactments)
106 extras participated in the reenactments
TECHNICAL CREDITS
Director: Rodrigo Astiz Director and Screenwriter: Daniel BillioLead Researcher: Claudia BelfortExecutive Producers: Adriana Marques, Íris Sodré Mendes and Mauricio Hirata Filho Associate Producers: Gavulino Filmes and Marcos Tardin
Synopsis: On March 16, a new documentary series about one of Brazil’s most spectacular heists arrives on Netflix. With never-before-seen testimony from police and criminals, as well as plenty of archival footage, 3 Ton$: The Great Robbery of Brazil's Central Bank reconstructs the historic robbery of the Central Bank of Brazil, located in Fortaleza, in the state of Ceará. In August 2005, using a tunnel nearly 80 meters long, robbers made their way into the bank’s vault and escaped with more than 160 million reais—or nearly 3.5 tons of cold, hard cash. With 3 episodes, each 50 minutes long, the documentary recreates key moments from the cat-and-mouse game between the thieves and the federal police over the course of an investigation that lasted more than 5 years. It was one of the biggest bank robberies ever in the history of Brazil—and the world. The show also reveals unexpected details about the heist, as well as its tragic consequences. It seemed like the perfect crime, but extortion, kidnappings and murders followed in its wake, leading even the robbers themselves to believe that the money was cursed.
About Netflix
Netflix is the largest streaming entertainment service in the world. There are more than 222 million paid subscribers in more than 190 countries with access to shows, documentaries and movies from many genres and in many languages, as well as mobile games. Members can watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, on any Internet-connected device. Members can play, pause and resume watching, all without commercials or commitments.
About Mixer Films
Mixer is one of the most respected production companies in Brazil—with the awards to show for it. While its origins are in advertising, the company made an early effort to diversify into developing and producing content for all formats. Mixer Films has been nominated for 4 International Emmy Awards, as well as 5 Grandes Prêmios do Cinema Brasileiro for the movies The Assailant and Dirty Hearts, among many other awards and festival appearances both within Brazil and abroad. The company has produced more than 50 shows for TV and streaming platforms, such as The Business (HBO), Mothern (GNT), Escola de Gênios (Globoplay/Gloob), A Garota da Moto (SBT / Fox), Rio Heroes (Fox Premium), Águias da Cidade (Discovery Channel) and The Chosen One (Netflix).
Mais Brasil na Tela
3 Ton$: The Great Robbery of Brazil's Central Bank is yet another Brazilian production streaming on Netflix in 2022. The series is among the brand new Brazilian content produced exclusively for the streaming service—from fictional series and documentaries to movies and reality shows. They’re the best stories Brazil has to offer, in a variety of genres and formats, for all tastes and moods.
Ágora Public Affairs
netflix@agoracomunica.com.br