The Union of Career Police Delegates of the State of Amazonas, known as SINDEPOL/AM, issued a formal statement on April 29, 2026, pushing back sharply against coverage by TV SBT that linked deputy police chief Guilherme Torres Ferreira to the ongoing investigation surrounding jiu-jitsu coach and civil police investigator Melquizedec de Lima Galvao Ferreira, known professionally as Melqui Galvao.
Released one day after SBT’s Jornal SBT Brasil aired the report, the statement described the broadcast as improper and irresponsible, insisting that any connection between Torres and the accused amounted to nothing more than a professional and institutional acquaintance, not a personal one.
Melqui Galvao’s instagram has since been deactivated.
Torres is no minor figure in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He holds a world championship title through the CBJJE and has publicly positioned himself as a defender of children, establishing a Code of Conduct for academies operating in Amazonas. The union was quick to invoke those credentials in his defense. Torres himself has previously declared:
“It is our priority, it is the priority of the Civil Police, to defend against any cri me or abuse against children and adolescents.”
The statement was shared across both Torres’s personal Instagram account and the official account of the Sindicato dos Delegados do AM, with the union maintaining that the broadcast damaged not only Torres’s personal reputation but also the broader standing of the Amazonas Civil Police as an institution.
However, the statement has done little to quiet growing public concern. Galvao remains in custody in Manaus while the investigation against him is being conducted by Sao Paulo authorities, who have formally requested his transfer to face charges in their jurisdiction. Why that transfer has not occurred remains unanswered by officials and it has not gone unnoticed.
Craig Jones raised the matter publicly, noting that Torres, as both a jiu-jitsu world champion and deputy general of the Amazonas Civil Police, is in a position to provide clarity. Jones called on the public to politely and directly ask Manaus authorities for a straightforward explanation, describing the situation as a genuine mystery. The question has since been amplified across social media, with many in the international jiu-jitsu community tagging relevant officials.
That question carries additional weight given what investigators and complainants have alleged about the years leading up to Galvao’s arrest. Multiple young women told SBT reporters off camera that previous attempts to report Galvao were quietly blocked, with sources pointing to his network of connections with police officers across several Brazilian states. Galvao held a dual role as a civil police investigator in Amazonas while simultaneously operating two gyms in Sao Paulo and Jundiai. He also provided training to BOPE officers in Rio de Janeiro and maintained a visible social media presence alongside senior members of the Amazonas Civil Police. According to sources, he was earning as much as $6000 a month between his government position and his gyms.
Sao Paulo investigators now believe the alleged misconduct stretches back years, with at least one complainant reporting an incident that allegedly occurred when she was 12 years old. Three individuals are currently named in the case, with additional women coming forward voluntarily.
Galvao’s history with law enforcement carries its own complications. His tenure with the Brazilian police force ended following suspicion of involvement in the passing of an unarmed man during a law enforcement operation. The incident was filmed, though the footage contains a suspicious edit, after which a revolver is visible near the man’s body. Reports at the time indicated Galvao had been detained, yet local media placed him at a jiu-jitsu event that same month. He was subsequently forced to relocate and a prosecutor who oversaw the operation was placed on three months of unpaid leave.
Investigators further allege that Galvao attempted to secure silence from one complainant’s family through career incentives, including a black belt promotion and a business stake in a gym in Orlando, Florida.
The Amazonas Civil Police confirmed that Galvao has been suspended and that its internal affairs unit is actively reviewing his conduct outside the state. No defense team has been publicly identified.
His son, Mica Galvao, issued a public statement declaring that he condemns any form of harassment and calling for a thorough investigation into the facts. In the days that followed, Mica’s wife removed content featuring the elder Galvao from her Instagram account without public explanation.
SINDEPOL/AM concluded its statement by reaffirming what it described as the importance of a free but responsible press, warning against reporting that distorts facts or unfairly damages the reputations of its members. Whether that framing holds as Sao Paulo investigators continue pressing for Galvao’s transfer may depend on what Manaus authorities ultimately choose to disclose and when.
