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At least 64 individuals lost their lives and 81 were apprehended as 2,500 heavily armed police and military personnel raided the favelas of Rio de Janeiro in the city's largest anti-gang operation to date.
Gunfire erupted for hours on Tuesday throughout the Alemão and Penha complexes, which are strongholds for the formidable Red Command (Comando Vermelho) gang.
Police officers escort an arrested suspect during the Operação Contenção (Operation Containment) out of the Vila Cruzeiro favela, located in the Penha complex.Credit: AFP
At least 2,500 security personnel participated in the operation to apprehend drug traffickers from the Comando Vermelho.Credit: AFP
Some of the alleged criminals arrested during the Operação Contenção (Operation Containment) sit waiting to be transferred at the Vila Cruzeiro favela.Credit: AFP
The conflict has resulted in “bodies scattered throughout the streets,” according to a community leader cited by O Globo.
Governor Cláudio Castro declared that the city was “at war,” describing it as “the largest operation in the history of Rio de Janeiro.”
Four police officers were confirmed among the deceased.
“This is no longer ordinary crime; it’s narco-terrorism,” Castro stated in a video on social media, praising the confiscation of numerous rifles, drones, and a “significant quantity of drugs.”
The raid, which was reportedly planned for over a year, aimed to curb the territorial expansion of the Red Command.
The gang, Brazil’s oldest criminal organization, emerged from the country's prisons during the military dictatorship and now controls extensive drug and extortion networks across South America.
Footage revealed armored vehicles advancing through narrow streets as gunfire resounded and thick black smoke billowed from burning barricades.
Local media reported that gang members utilized drones to drop explosives on police forces.
Authorities indicated that the operation aimed to execute 250 arrest and search warrants, but the violent clashes brought much of northern Rio to a standstill.
More than 40 schools were closed, bus services were suspended, and residents were advised to remain indoors.
“This illustrates the scale of the challenge we face,” Castro remarked, adding that security forces would continue their deployment “in the fight against crime.”
Human rights organizations condemned the violence.
The UN Human Rights Office expressed being “horrified” by the violence, cautioning that it “exacerbates the trend of extreme lethal outcomes of police operations in Brazil’s marginalized communities.”
César Muñoz from Human Rights Watch characterized the day's events as “a significant tragedy” and “a disaster.”
“The public prosecutor’s office must initiate its investigations and clarify the circumstances surrounding each death,” he asserted.
Dozens of individuals died, and 81 were arrested in Rio’s largest anti-gang operation.Credit: AFP
Men examine a burned vehicle that was part of a barricade erected during the Operação Contenção (Operation Containment) in the Vila Cruzeiro favela.Credit: AFP
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Eze Chidiebere Paul
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