Emílio Carlos Gongorra Castilho, known by aliases including “Cigarreira,” “João Cigarreira” and “Bill,” became a central figure in the investigation into the November 2024 killing of Antônio Vinícius Lopes Gritzbach at São Paulo’s Guarulhos International Airport.
According to investigators from São Paulo’s Civil Police, Castilho was identified as one of the alleged masterminds behind the attack. The investigation later resulted in criminal charges against him and other suspects, but Castilho has not been convicted in connection with Gritzbach’s death. As of 2026, he remains a fugitive, according to Brazilian media reports.
Gritzbach was a businessman and former associate of people connected to the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC). He had also entered into a plea-bargaining agreement with São Paulo prosecutors and provided information about criminal networks and alleged corruption involving public officials. His killing at the airport therefore became one of the most closely watched organized-crime investigations in Brazil.
Castilho’s name had appeared in earlier investigations involving Gritzbach. According to documents cited by Brazilian authorities and media outlets, the two had previous financial and criminal-network connections. Investigators also linked Castilho to an earlier episode in which Gritzbach was taken before an alleged internal tribunal connected to the PCC after being suspected of involvement in the deaths of Anselmo Becheli Santa Fausta, known as “Cara Preta,” and his driver, Antônio Corona Neto.
The police investigation into the 2024 airport killing identified Castilho and Diego dos Santos Amaral, known as “Didi,” as alleged members of the group responsible for planning the attack. In March 2025, prosecutors formally charged Castilho and other defendants over the killing of Gritzbach, the death of driver Celso Araújo de Sampaio Novais, and the attempted killings of two other people who were wounded during the attack.
Investigators have described the suspected motive as involving both revenge and financial disputes. Authorities have also examined Gritzbach’s cooperation with prosecutors and his knowledge of criminal and corruption networks as possible factors behind the alleged plot. These explanations remain part of the investigative and prosecutorial case rather than a final judicial determination of Castilho’s motive.
Castilho was the target of a major police operation in February 2025, but authorities did not locate him. Reports at the time said investigators believed he had links to criminal networks operating in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Police also alleged that he had previously continued directing criminal activities while incarcerated, based on an investigation cited by the São Paulo Public Prosecutor’s Office.
By June 2026, the case had moved into a new judicial phase. Police officers accused of carrying out the airport attack began facing trial, while Castilho and other suspects identified as alleged organizers remained at large. According to Folha de S.Paulo, the proceedings involving Castilho were suspended because he had not been located and therefore had not formally been served with the accusations.
The case remains significant because it connects the killing of a cooperating witness with investigations into organized crime and alleged corruption involving public security officials. For Castilho himself, however, the distinction between accusation and conviction remains important: he has been identified by investigators and prosecutors as an alleged participant in the planning of Gritzbach’s murder, but the accusations have not resulted in a final conviction against him.
SOURCES
CNN Brasil — “Traficante ‘Cigarreira’ é apontado como mandante da morte de Gritzbach”
CNN Brasil
Folha de S.Paulo — “PCC: Júri do caso Gritzbach inicia com mandantes foragidos”
Folha de S.Paulo
Folha de S.Paulo — “PCC: Justiça torna réus 6 acusados por morte de delator”
Folha de S.Paulo
UOL — “Mandante de morte de Gritzbach é identificado e procurado pela polícia”
UOL
Superior Tribunal de Justiça — decisão/documento relacionado ao caso Gritzbach
Superior Tribunal de Justiça
