An unprecedented police operation shook Rio de Janeiro this Tuesday, October 28, leaving at least 64 people dead and 80 detained in what is already considered the deadliest intervention in the history of the Brazilian city.

The so-called “Operation Containment” mobilized 2,500 agents to stop the territorial expansion of the Red Command (CV), the second most powerful criminal organization in Brazil.

The epicenter of the action was concentrated in the Alemao and Penha favela complexes, where nearly 300,000 people reside. These neighborhoods function as strategic bastions of the CV, from where they control drug trafficking, kidnappings and extortion that have turned entire sectors into lawless territories.

The clashes began at dawn and lasted until noon, with high-intensity exchanges of gunfire. The most alarming thing was the level of sophistication displayed by the criminals, who used armed drones to launch explosives against the uniformed personnel, a tactic that demonstrates the war power of these organizations.

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The violence forced 45 schools to close and a dozen public transport routes to be diverted. In retaliation, members of the CV cut off at least 15 strategic points in the city with barricades of burned buses and destroyed vehicles, including Brasil Avenue, Rio’s vital artery.

Governor Claudio Castro denounced that “Rio is alone in this war” and criticized the lack of support from the federal government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. He even requested intervention from the Armed Forces, a request that was rejected three times.

Professor Rodríguez explains that this area had already been the focus of a pacification policy between 2010 and 2012, prior to the 2014 Soccer World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games. However, after the post-Olympic military withdrawal, the CV recovered full control of the territory.

The operation sought to capture capo Edgar Alves de Andrade, alias “Doca”, the CV’s top leader in the Complexo da Penha. The authorities seized 75 rifles and had a hundred arrest warrants against lieutenants of the organization.

This operation occurs days before Brazil hosts the COP30 in Belém, a global climate summit that will be held on November 6 and 7, with President Lula as host.

Photo taken from social networks.

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