Police Rescue of 39 Patients from Alleged Torture Clinic in Candeias, Bahia
On 23 July 2026 the Police Civil of Bahia carried out Operation Terra Santa in Candeias, a rural area near Salvador. The raid led to the arrest of the clinic’s manager, Charles Vinícius, and the rescue of 39 patients who had been kept in locked rooms, under electric fencing and subjected to alleged torture, forced labour, deprivation of liberty and the irregular use of controlled medication. The investigation stems from earlier deaths of two individuals linked to the centre – driver Iago Marques Formiga and patient Geovane Santana Lopes – and includes accusations of beatings, electric shocks, and other severe mistreatment. Police seized mobile phones, laptops, documents and controlled drugs as evidence. The case is being pursued as a possible organised‑crime operation involving multiple charges such as torture, illegal confinement, homicide, and drug‑related offences.