Continuing the investigation into the double murder of indigenist Bruno Pereira and English journalist Dom Phillips., the Federal Police carried out preventive arrest and search and seizure warrants in the Vale do Javari region, following new evidence on the case.
to CNN the Federal Police superintendent in Amazonas, Eduardo Fontes, stated that the suspect known as “Colombia”, who was already in detention for involvement in the death of Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira, was the leader of a criminal association investigated by the indigenist.
“Today’s operation is the result of this investigation that we initiated in relation to the murder of Bruno and Dom. In the course of the investigation, we collected evidence that showed the existence of an armed criminal association and that association was dedicated to the practice of illegal fishing. There is strong evidence that Colombia is the leader of this association, because it supplies equipment, materials, inputs to fishermen, and then buys fish and sells it to neighboring Peru and Colombia,” said the superintendent.
According to him, “Colombia” used false documents, such as Brazilian and Peruvian identity cards. In addition to him, the operation targeted Amarildo Costa de Oliveira, aka “Pelado”, who had also been arrested by the PF.
“It is an armed criminal association, and some members were arrested in the act today for carrying a firearm. Amarildo used a firearm, so much so that everything leads us to believe that he committed two homicides, with some members being his own family members. These are people who were already being investigated as responsible for the concealment of Dom and Bruno’s bodies,” he said.
Eduardo Fontes also pointed out that Amarildo had conflicts with Bruno Pereira because the indigenist acted as the leader of indigenous surveillance, which supervised illegal practices in the region. As a result, the PF works with the evidence that this was the motivation for Bruno’s murder, while Dom would have been executed for being “an eyewitness” to his colleague’s murder.
“We are investigating whether there were other people who were being harmed by Bruno’s inspection and were interested in his death,” said the PF superintendent.
“In relation to the arrests carried out today, the suspects are being interrogated at this moment”, he added, stressing that the interrogation this Saturday (6) is based exclusively on the association with the practice of illegal fishing and the formation of an armed criminal association.
However, Fontes clarified that further interrogations about the deaths of Dom and Bruno will be carried out throughout the week.
Source: CNN Brasil
