Douglas Santos, a former Brazilian right-back who played for Benfica in the 2017/18 season on loan from Barcelona, was arrested on April 21 in Brazil for the illegal use of a firearm, which has only now come to light.
A clubless player shot into the air around midnight in a public parking lot after a speedboat ride on Lake Paranoa in Brasilia.
According to Globo Esporte, Douglas was accompanied by his wife and ten other people who had an argument after drinking alcohol. Once on land, he fired a shot into the air, which was confirmed by the woman and witnessed by the guard.
The player had a Glock registered in his mother’s name in a suitcase that he tried to hide in a nearby woods. Police saw him exit the wooded area and initially denied firing.
The agents found the suitcase but did not see any firearms. During a new search, a 380-caliber shell was found near the player’s car.
In the face of evidence, Douglas later admitted to having fired, but did not say where he had hidden the weapon, and was eventually arrested. On April 23, he was released from prison and will participate in the process at large.
Douglas arrived at Barcelona in 2014 from São Paulo after only playing 8 games. Until 2019, when he left Blaugrana, he was loaned out to Gijon, Benfica (he played in just 11 matches), Sivasspor and Besiktas. Now he is without a club.