Colombian arrested in Ceará for illegal gambling tries to use Moraes' decision to annul the investigation.

Colombian national Luis Felipe Galvis Ramirez, arrested in April 2025 in Ceará, is attempting to obtain his freedom using a preliminary injunction granted by Justice Alexandre de Moraes of the Supreme Federal Court. His defense argues that the Financial Intelligence Report that formed the basis of the investigation was sent to the Ceará Civil Police one day before the inquiry was opened.

Lawyers Paulo Quezado and Eduardo Quezado filed the request on April 6 of this year. They cite Moraes's ruling that restricts the use of Financial Intelligence Reports (RIFs) prepared by the Council for the Control of Financial Activities (Coaf).

Ramirez was arrested in Operation Quéfren, launched by the civil police of Ceará, São Paulo, Mato Grosso, and Pará. The operation targeted a group of influencers who were illegally promoting online gambling . The Colombian national had a romantic relationship with one of the group's main influencers, Brenna Brito.

Moraes' decision sets precedent in criminal defense cases.

Moraes ruled on March 27 of this year that Financial Intelligence Reports can only be requested by the police after an investigation has been initiated. The minister also prohibited these documents from serving as a starting point for investigations.

According to the judge, using the reports as the first investigative measure constitutes "probative fishing," an inappropriate invasion of the investigated party's privacy without a specific fact justifying the investigation. The decision was issued in an Extraordinary Appeal pending before the Supreme Federal Court.

The protest occurred following a statement from the Institute for the Defense of the Right to Defense, a non-governmental organization formed by criminal defense lawyers. The limitations imposed by Moraes on the use of Financial Intelligence Reports also extend to Parliamentary Commissions of Inquiry.

Since March 27, the ruling has been invoked as a precedent by lawyers for defendants or those under investigation who are trying to annul operations by the Federal Police and other investigative bodies. The decision was cited by lawyers for those under investigation in Operation El Patrón, which investigates loan sharking and money laundering crimes in Bahia. It was also used by those under investigation in Operation Migalhas, concerning the smuggling of pesticides in Paraná.

Million-dollar transactions inconsistent with declared income.

Police identified through Financial Intelligence Reports that Brenna and Ramirez were moving significant sums of money. Brenna recorded transactions totaling 5,8 million reais in five months. Ramirez moved more than 1,3 million reais in the same period.

The amounts were inconsistent with the income declared by the two, according to the investigation. The Civil Police found that the group was promoting illegal "Tigrinho" platforms that operated without authorization from the Ministry of Finance.

Ramirez flaunted a lavish lifestyle on social media. He owned luxury cars and sports motorcycles valued at over 1 million reais.

The police investigation found that the group led by Brenna and Ramirez promoted illegal "Tigrinho" platforms that operated without authorization from the Ministry of Finance. The platforms functioned outside of official regulations, attracting users through the digital influence of those under investigation on social media. The group's actions constituted an organized structure for the dissemination of unauthorized gambling.

The police report presented an analysis of how the clandestine platform scheme worked. "Because each license costs companies R$ 30.000.000,00 (thirty million reais), plus a 12% tax on gross revenue, most sites prefer to remain clandestine, paying high sums to digital influencers as a form of cooperation, with bloggers being the main agents responsible for promoting the criminal platforms," ​​states an excerpt from the police report.

Defense questions the legality of the investigation.

In the petition filed on April 6, Ramirez's defense argues that the investigation was initiated irregularly. Lawyers Paulo Quezado and Eduardo Quezado argue that the Financial Intelligence Report was sent to the Civil Police of Ceará on March 27, 2025, while the police investigation was only formally opened the following day, March 28.

According to the defense, this chronology would constitute exactly the situation prohibited by Minister Alexandre de Moraes's decision. "The RIF (Report of Suspicious Financial Transactions) was used as a trigger for the investigation, and not as an instrument for deepening an investigation already underway," the lawyers state in the petition.

The defense also questions the grounds for Ramirez's pretrial detention. The lawyers argue that there are no concrete elements justifying the maintenance of his custody, especially considering that the Colombian has a fixed residence in Brazil and does not present a risk of flight or obstruction of the investigations.

"Preventive detention should be an exceptional measure, applied only when its real necessity is demonstrated. In this specific case, none of the authorizing hypotheses foreseen in article 312 of the Code of Criminal Procedure are verified," the defense argues.

The petition also requests that, if provisional release is not granted, alternative precautionary measures to imprisonment be applied, such as periodic court appearances, prohibition of access to certain places, or nightly house arrest.

The Public Prosecutor's Office of Ceará filed charges against Ramirez and Brenna in June 2025, after the conclusion of the investigations. The charges included accusations of criminal organization, fraud, crimes against the popular economy, deceptive advertising, and money laundering.

The judge in charge of the case received the complaint in February 2026. The magistrate recorded information about possible connections between the group and criminal organizations. According to him, reports indicated that the group would allocate financial resources to Comando Vermelho, a faction that has been expanding its operations in Ceará.

When filing the petition, Ramirez's lawyers attached a copy of Moraes's injunction. The minister recently faced controversy related to the Organized Crime Parliamentary Inquiry Commission, led by Senator Alessandro Vieira of the MDB party from Sergipe. The commission's concluding document requested the indictment of the minister and other members of the Court. Data on the Income Tax of Banco Master, forwarded to the commission, confirmed transfers from the financial institution of the Minas Gerais banker Daniel Vorcaro to the law firm Barci de Moraes Advogados, owned by the minister's wife.