Vila Nova, from Goiás, confirmed that right-back Hayner was one of the targets of Operation A Tropa, launched Monday morning against a criminal organization suspected of involvement with drug and arms trafficking and possible links to a criminal faction. Agents searched the athlete's residence and his personal locker at Vila do Tigre's Training Center.
Vasco's forward David Corrêa, known as DVD, was also a target of the operation. The operation's name comes from the way the investigated parties used to refer to the criminal group, with the two players being longtime friends, both from Serra, in Espírito Santo.
In December 2023, the two posed together on board a luxury vessel. "Duke of the same line," wrote full-back Hayner in the photo caption. Hayner even celebrated a goal scored by David Corrêa during a Vasco rout, in a match where the Vascaíno team faced precisely Vila Nova, Hayner's team.