Deadly Brazil Police Raid: 64 Killed and 81 Arrested in Massive Operation Against Rio Drug Gang

Brazil's government stated those killed had "resisted police action" during a massive operation in Rio de Janeiro.

In Rio de Janeiro, approximately 2,500 Brazilian police and military personnel conducted an extensive raid targeting a drug-trafficking organization on Tuesday. The operation resulted in 81 arrests and violent confrontations that left at least 60 suspects and four police officers dead, according to officials.

The raid targeted the notorious Red Command gang and took place in the expansive low-income favelas of Complexo de Alemao and Penha. Police deployed helicopters and armored vehicles during the operation.

This police action ranks among the most violent in Brazil's recent history, prompting human rights organizations to call for investigations into the fatalities.

Rio's state Governor Claudio Castro shared via social media platform X that 60 criminal suspects were "neutralised" during what he described as the largest operation in the city's history. The state government reported 81 arrests, along with the seizure of 93 rifles and more than half a ton of drugs, adding that those killed had "resisted police action."

Rio's civil police confirmed on X that four officers died during Tuesday's operation, stating: "The cowardly attacks by criminals against our agents will not go unpunished."

An undetermined number of individuals were injured in the confrontation.

The United Nations' human rights body expressed horror at the deadly police operation, called for thorough investigations, and reminded authorities of their obligations under international human rights law.

César Muñoz, director of Human Rights Watch in Brazil, characterized Tuesday's events as "a huge tragedy" and a "disaster," insisting that "the public prosecutor's office must open its own investigations and clarify the circumstances of each death."

Social media footage showed fire and smoke rising from the two favelas amid sounds of gunfire. The city's Education Department reported that 46 schools across the two neighborhoods were closed, while the nearby Federal University of Rio de Janeiro canceled evening classes and advised those on campus to seek shelter.

In response to the raid, suspected gang members blocked roads in northern and southeastern Rio, according to local media reports. The city's bus organization, Rio Onibus, stated that at least 70 buses were commandeered for the blockades, causing significant damage.

Police indicated that Tuesday's operation followed a year-long investigation into the criminal group.

Governor Castro, from the conservative opposition Liberal Party, criticized the federal government for insufficient support in combating crime—a critique aimed at leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's administration.

Gleisi Hoffmann, the Lula administration's parliamentary liaison, acknowledged the need for coordinated action but pointed to recent money laundering crackdowns as evidence of federal efforts against organized crime.

Vice President Geraldo Alckmin and several ministers convened in response to the operation on Tuesday afternoon. Chief of Staff Rui Costa requested an emergency meeting in Rio for Wednesday, with his attendance alongside Justice Minister Ricardo Lewandowski.

The Red Command criminal organization, which emerged from Rio's prisons, has expanded its control in favelas in recent years.

Rio de Janeiro has experienced lethal police raids for decades. In March 2005, approximately 29 people were killed in Rio's Baixada Fluminense region, while in May 2021, 28 were killed in the Jacarezinho favela.

Luis Flavio Sapori, a sociologist and public safety expert at Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais, noted that while Tuesday's police operation resembled previous ones, its scale was unprecedented: "What's different about today's operation is the magnitude of the victims. These are war numbers."

He argued that such operations are ineffective because they typically fail to capture the masterminds, instead targeting lower-level members who can be readily replaced.

"It's not enough to go in, exchange gunfire, and leave. There's a lack of strategy in Rio de Janeiro's public security policy," Sapori stated. "Some lower-ranking members of these factions are killed, but those individuals are quickly replaced by others."

The Marielle Franco Institute, a nonprofit established by the slain councilwoman's family to continue her advocacy for favela residents' rights, also criticized the operation.

"This is not a public safety policy. It's a policy of extermination, that makes the everyday life of Black and poor people a Russian roulette," the institute declared in a statement.