Brazilian authorities have indicted Colombian fish trader Ruben Dario da Silva Villar, accusing him of orchestrating the 2022 murders of Indigenous expert Bruno Pereira and British journalist Dom Phillips in Brazil’s Amazon region. Brazilian police announced the indictment on Monday.

The police statement did not name da Silva Villar, but sources confirmed his identity to The Associated Press. He is alleged to have provided the ammunition used in the murders and aided in concealing the victims' bodies. Da Silva Villar, who has been detained since July 2022, denies any involvement in the crime.

Pereira and Phillips were last seen traveling by boat on the Itaquai River in Brazil’s Javari Valley, home to thousands of Indigenous people and the world’s largest concentration of uncontacted tribes. Federal police claim da Silva Villar was funding an illegal fishing operation within this protected area.

This indictment sheds new light on the high-profile case, which drew international attention to the escalating threats faced by Indigenous activists and environmental defenders in the Amazon.

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