Four more people were arrested during a police operation against illegal weight loss clinics in Santa Catarina. Campaign targeted clinics operated in Joinville, north of Santa Catarina, Balneario Camboriu and Itapema, on the northern coast of the state.

Examination at one of Joinville’s banned clinics – Photo: NDTV

According to delegate José Ghattas Neto, the new prisoners at the time of the operation are medical workers, including two doctors, a pharmacist and a nutritionist. Everyone would follow the pattern of behavior in the inpatient clinic of Felipe Francisco, who was arrested on August 15 and already answered for the same crime in 2017.

“They learned the way this clinic works. They realized that it worked, that large sums of money could be raised through criminal behavior, and so they decided to create new clinics and make all the money from them,” explains the delegate.

Also according to Gattaz Neto, clinics were banned during the operation. A total of 14 people were arrested.

The civilian police understand that it will not be an easy task to identify all the branches of organized crime. Several people are involved in a real machine for counterfeiting and selling drugs. But little by little, investigators move forward and arrests occur.

“We will continue to investigate, identify new people, other clinics practicing the same criminal behavior, eventually ask for arrest and continue the investigation,” says the delegate.

*According to Felipe Bambas, reporter for NDTV Record TV.