Bahia operation arrests nine lawyers linked to criminal gangs

On July 3, Brazilian authorities carried out the “Sintonia de Gravata” operation in the state of Bahia, arresting six female and three male lawyers. The detainees are accused of abusing professional privileges to transmit messages between leaders of the Comando Vermelho (CV), Bonde do Maluco (BDM) and Terceiro Comando Puro (TCP) who are imprisoned in high‑security units, and their external collaborators. According to prosecutors, the communication facilitated the coordination of drug trafficking, arms sales and the movement of illicit funds.

The operation, coordinated by the Bahia Public Prosecutor’s Office, the State Secretariat of Prison Administration and Resocialisation (Seap), and the State Secretariat of Public Safety (SSP), executed 22 arrest warrants across six municipalities – Serrinha, Salvador, Camaçari, Barreiras, Feira de Santana and Lauro de Freitas – and 15 search and seizure warrants. Seized items include notebooks, cell phones and documents. Financial assets worth up to 10 million reais, as well as vehicles, real estate, boats and aircraft, were blocked. A tenth suspect remains at large. The Bahia chapter of the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB‑BA) has been asked to monitor possible ethical violations and may initiate disciplinary proceedings.