Ex‑prefeito Márcio Canella released after rifle arrest in Rio's Unha e Carne probe
Supreme Court minister Alexandre de Moraes ordered the provisional release of Márcio Canella, former mayor of Belford Roxo and pre‑senate candidate for União Brasil. Canella had been arrested in flagrante on 7 July after Federal Police found a .556 calibre rifle in his vehicle during the sixth phase of Operation Unha e Carne, an investigation into a suspected R$ 7.6 billion money‑laundering network that used fuel‑station chains in the Rio de Janeiro metropolitan area.
The court substituted preventive detention with a set of precautionary measures: Canella must wear an electronic monitoring anklet, surrender his passport, keep his firearm licence suspended, remain under night‑time house arrest and appear regularly before the judiciary. A police officer arrested alongside him received the same restrictions. Authorities continue to examine the legality of the weapon’s possession and the involvement of public agents in the broader scheme.