Operation Dynasty of the Lake: who are Adail Pinheiro and Adail Filho, targets of the Federal Police in Amazonas
The Federal Police launched an operation against the mayor of Coari and federal deputy Adail Filho on suspicions of corruption and money laundering. Minister Alexandre de Moraes authorised 29 search and seizure warrants.
Father and son at the centre of federal investigation into fraud in public contracts in Amazonas
The mayor of Coari, Manoel Adail Pinheiro (Republicanos), and federal deputy Adail Filho (MDB) are the main targets of Operation Dynasty of the Lake, launched by the Federal Police on Wednesday (16), according to g1.globo.com. The investigation is examining suspicions of fraud in public tenders, diversion of public resources, corruption and money laundering related to contracts with the Coari Municipal Government, in the interior of Amazonas.
The action was authorised by Minister Alexandre de Moraes of the Supreme Federal Court (STF). In total, 29 search and seizure warrants were executed in Manaus and Coari. Adail Pinheiro and municipal secretaries were removed from their posts.
The main target of the operation is Adail Filho, the mayor's son. According to TV Globo, search warrants were executed against the parliamentarian in Amazonas, but not in Brasília.
History of Manoel Adail Pinheiro
Manoel Adail Pinheiro was commanding the Coari Municipal Government at the time of the operation. First elected in 2004, he returned to office in 2012 and won the elections again in 2024.
Adail Pinheiro's political trajectory is marked by investigations and convictions. In 2008, he was detained by the Federal Police during Operation Vorax, on suspicion of participating in a scheme that is believed to have diverted over R$ 40 million from the municipality's coffers. In the same investigation, police identified evidence of a network exploiting children and adolescents sexually.
In November 2014, Adail Pinheiro was sentenced to 11 years and 10 months in prison for crimes related to the sexual exploitation of children and adolescents — he had been in prison since February of that year. In January 2017, the Justice system granted him a pardon, extinguishing the sentence. The following month, the Amazonas Court of Justice (TJAM) suspended the benefit following an appeal by the Public Prosecutor's Office, and Adail returned to serving his sentence under house arrest, monitored by electronic ankle monitor.
History of Adail Filho
Son of the mayor, Adail Filho pursued a political career in Coari. He was elected mayor in 2016 and re-elected in 2020, but had his candidacy annulled by the Electoral Justice, which applied the rule preventing members of the same family from holding office for more than two consecutive terms.
In 2019, already serving as mayor, Adail Filho was arrested during Operation Patrinus, conducted by the Public Prosecutor's Office of Amazonas (MPAM) with support from the Comptroller General of the Union (CGU) and the Civil Police. The investigation examined suspicions of fraud in public tenders and diversion of public resources.
According to the investigations at the time, Adail Filho is believed to have used municipal contracts to benefit suppliers with outstanding debts going back years. The suspicion was that businesspeople paid 30 per cent of the debt value to receive the transfers. The operation also investigated suspicions of corruption and money laundering.
In the same operation, the president of the Coari City Council, Keitton Pinheiro, a cousin of Adail Filho, was arrested, along with a businessman and a military police officer. Police executed search warrants at addresses linked to municipal employees, councillors and businesspeople.
The inquiry at the STF and the trigger for the operation
Wednesday's operation is an offshoot of an inquiry opened at the STF to investigate Adail Filho on suspicions of corruption and money laundering. The investigations began following the arrest in flagrante of three businesspeople at Brasília Airport in May 2025.
Cesar de Jesus Gloria Albuquerque, Erick Pinto Saraiva and Wagner Santos Moutinho were transporting approximately R$ 1.25 million in cash on a flight between Manaus and Brasília and did not provide proof of the money's origin at that time. From that seizure, documents and electronic devices collected during the investigation were analysed with judicial authorisation.
According to the case file, the material indicated financial movements considered suspicious and possible links with Coari Municipal Government contracts. The investigations also identified companies linked to those under investigation that maintained contracts with the municipality and which, according to the investigation, may have been used to commit tender fraud. The case also involves transfers of parliamentary amendments intended for Coari in 2024 and 2025.
Moraes's decision and extension of investigations
In a dispatch, Minister Alexandre de Moraes pointed out that the documents and devices seized indicated, according to the investigation, financial transfers by companies linked to those under investigation in favour of Adail Filho and Adail Pinheiro.
"At the same time, documents and electronic devices were seized which, after analysis authorised by the courts, revealed the realisation of financial transfers by legal entities linked to those under investigation for the benefit of Federal Deputy Adail Filho and his father, Manoel Adail, mayor of the Municipality of Coari/AM," reads an excerpt from the decision.
Moraes ordered the inquiry to be opened following a request by the Attorney General's Office of the Republic (PGR) and forwarded the case to the Federal Police to continue the investigations. On 24 June 2026, he extended the investigation for a further 60 days at the request of the Federal Police, which pointed to the complexity of the facts, the number of individuals and legal entities involved and the existence of outstanding investigative steps.
The investigation is examining the possible practice of corruption and money laundering. In Wednesday's operation, suspicions of tender fraud, diversion of public resources and embezzlement are also being investigated. g1.globo.com reports that it is attempting to reach the legal representatives of Cesar de Jesus Gloria Albuquerque, Erick Pinto Saraiva and Wagner Santos Moutinho.
Source: Google News BR — São Paulo