October 13, 2022

08:10

Gabriel Abreu – from Amazon Agency

MANAUS – The Federal Public Ministry (MPF) clarified, in a note sent to AMAZON AGENCY on Tuesday, 11, that Ruben Dario da Silva Villar, known as “Colômbia”, remains in custody, preventively, by criminal association, and that the action is underway in the Federal Court of Tabatinga (distant 1,106 kilometers from Manaus). He is suspected of being the mastermind behind the murders of the indigenous expert Bruno Pereira and the British journalist Dom Phillips. The killings took place inside the Vale do Javari Indigenous Land in June of this year.

During the weekend, the press even reported that “Colômbia” would be released to answer the indictment at liberty. “Colômbia” is a defendant in two cases in which preventive custody was ordered in both. In the criminal action against him for use of a false document, his preventive detention was revoked.

In this case, the agency said it filed an appeal on October 6, so that the arrest is again decreed. Among the points presented by the MPF are the risk of escape and the fact that he is also answering to another criminal action on criminal association. The appeal is still pending review by the Federal Court.

Arrest

When Ruben Villar was arrested on July 8, he was held in flagrante delicto for using false documents while being heard at the Tabatinga police station about alleged participation in the murders. He denied involvement in the crime. When arrested, he told the Federal Police that he knows Amarildo da Costa Oliveira, also known as “Pelado”, but that he only has a “commercial relationship” with the fisherman and others from the Atalaia do Norte region.

“Colômbia” appeared at the police station spontaneously, accompanied by a lawyer. According to the superintendent of PF, Eduardo Fontes, the arrest of “Colômbia” occurred on account of forgery of documents, whose penalty for this type of crime is four years and no bail is allowed. Therefore, according to the delegate, the suspect should remain in custody.

Illegal fishing in a reserve

One of the main lines of investigation of the Federal Police for the murder of Dom and Bruno, in Vale do Javari, is the indigenist’s fight against illegal fishing in an indigenous reserve. With their disappearance, a video leaked on the internet, later confirmed by the police, in which Bruno warns a boat in the Javari Valley.

There is also an audio, leaked to the press, in which Bruno Pereira talks about a meeting he intended to have with members of parliament from the municipality of Atalaia do Norte so that the community would avoid fishing for pirarucu on indigenous land, which could put the management of this typical Amazon fish at risk.

The pirarucu is one of the most targeted species on the illegal market. One of the largest freshwater fish in the world, it can measure up to three meters in length and weigh up to 200 kilos. Besides being used for food, its skin is used to make artifacts (handbags, shoes, chairs) and the scales for jewelry.

Laundering for Drug Trafficking

According to sources heard by AMAZON AGENCY at the Federal Police, illegal fishing in the municipality of Atalaia do Norte and in the triple border area in the Amazon (Brazil, Peru and Colombia) may be linked to the crime of drug trafficking and money laundering.

According to the Federal Police’s line of investigation, the illegal search for pirarucu, that is, without management authorized by the competent bodies and, principally, on indigenous land, allows those who practice the action to sell the fish in fairs and shops at above-market value, that the resource is used as a justification for money obtained from drug trafficking. The Vale do Javari Indigenous Land covers more than 85,000 square kilometers and is located on the Brazilian border with Peru and Colombia.

The case of Dom and Bruno

Journalist Dom Phillips and indigenous expert Bruno Pereira disappeared in the Vale do Javari region in Amazonas on June 5 this year after being threatened in the field. The two were last seen on their way from the São Rafael community to the municipality of Atalaia do Norte. Only on June 15, human remains of the victims were located.

So far, besides “Colômbia”, four people have been arrested suspected of involvement in the deaths of Dom and Bruno: fisherman Amarildo da Costa Oliveira, aka “Pelado”, was the first to be arrested; Oseney da Costa, aka “Da Costa”, Amarildo’s brother; Jeferson da Silva Lima, aka “Pelado da Dinha”; and Gabriel Pereira Dantas, who has already been released.