Court order sets free “Colombia”, suspect of ordering the deaths of Bruno Pereira and Dom Phillips

Ruben Dario da Silva Villar,  also known as ‘Colombia’, was released from jail on Friday morning (21) after paying a R$ 15,000 bail. Ruben is under investigation for ordering the murder of Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira. He was imprisoned for carrying false documents. Colombia He is also suspect of running an illegal fishing gang in the Vale do Javari Indigenous Reserve in Amazonas state.

On October 11, Judge Fabiano Verli granted Colombia provisional release, further determining “the payment of bail in the amount of R$15,000; monthly appearance before Justice; to remain under house arrest; electronic monitoring; prohibition of travel outside of Brazil; and the surrender of his passport.”

Colombia was arrested in July 2022 while trying to enter Brazil with false documents. He denied involvement in the murders of Bruno and Dom and said he only had a “commercial relationship” with fishermen in Vale do Javari. However, the Federal Police suspect that Coelho finances illegal fishing in indigenous areas in the border region as a way to launder money from drug trafficking. To preserve his business, he would have put a bounty on Bruno Pereira’s head among the region’s criminals.