Rio de Janeiro: 64 dead and 81 arrested in major anti-drug operation

In the last 48 hours Rio de Janeiro has become a battlefield, transforming into the the scene of an unprecedented anti-drug operation, carried out by 2.500 armed officers in the favelas of Complexo da Penha and Complexo do Alemão, in the northern part of the metropolis, a few kilometers from the international airport. The target was the Comando Vermelho gang, a historic criminal organization founded in 1969 in the prison of Cândido Mendes and today considered the most powerful drug trafficking group in Brazil.

According to the authorities, the action led to the deaths of at least 64 people, including four police officers, and the arrest of 81 individuals. According to the governor of the state Claudio Castro, this is the largest anti-drug operation ever carried out in the history of Rio de Janeiro. The intervention involved special units, elite units and heavy vehicles: 32 armored vehicles, 12 demolition vehicles and a air support constant by military police helicopters.

I drug traffickers, taken by surprise by the blitz, they responded with intense fire, throwing drones loaded with explosives and building makeshift barricades to block the entry of officers in the narrow streets of the favelas. operations are continue for hours, with firefights in different points of the two complexes. According to the police, the dead belonged to the Comando Vermelho cells and they have resisted, but human rights organizations have already called for an independent investigation, denouncing possible abuse and disproportionate use of force.

During the raids, Law enforcement seized 93 assault rifles, over half a ton of drugs, and a large arsenal of ammunition. "Was a a very hard blow to the heart of drug trafficking", Castro declared, "a clear message to those who think they can govern the city with violence and fear".

But in the favelas, fear remains. Residents tell of hours of terror, of continuous gunshots and of families forced to hide in their homes. “We didn't know whether the bullets came from the police or the bandits. We only heard explosions and screams,” a resident of the Complexo do Alemão told a local station.

The Red Command, born as an alliance between common criminals and political opponents during the military dictatorship, controls Even today, much of the drug trafficking and extortion in Rio takes place. For decades the gang has been competing for territory with other organizations such as the Terceiro Comando Puro and the Amigos dos Amigos, in an ongoing war that leaves hundreds of victims on the field every year.

The operation, however welcomed by a part of the population exasperated by crime, turns the power back on debate on the limits of armed intervention in the poorest areas of the city. “You can't fight violence with more violence”, commented the Justiça Global institute, calling for an investigation into the modalities of the raid.