Rio de Janeiro has witnessed its bloodiest anti-gang operation in years. On the morning of the 28th, local police launched a joint crackdown targeting the notorious criminal organization “Red Command,” deploying over 2,500 military police, armored vehicles, helicopters, and drones. Fierce battles with drug lords in several Rio slums raged for over 12 hours, resulting in at least 132 deaths, including 4 police officers.
According to reports, the operation began at dawn, focusing on Red Command strongholds in slums such as Alemão and Penha. Police stated that the operation aimed to “combat the territorial expansion of this criminal group” and had been in preparation for over a year.
The scene resembled a war zone: gang members burned vehicles on the streets to build barricades, used drones to drop homemade bombs on police, and engaged in violent shootouts with the military police as smoke filled the air. By around 6 p.m., sporadic gunfire could still be heard in the area. Police ultimately arrested at least 81 people and seized a large cache of weapons, including more than 90 rifles, pistols, and motorcycles.
According to O Globo newspaper, after the operation, residents lined up multiple bodies in the streets for family members to identify, creating a shocking scene.
Rio state governor Castro described this as “the largest police operation in Rio’s history,” emphasizing that “this is the beginning of the liberation of the people.” At a press conference, he stated that police also seized large quantities of drugs and said the death toll could still rise.
The “Red Command” is Brazil’s oldest criminal organization. Founded during the military dictatorship, it originated as a leftist prisoner group and later evolved into a transnational drug trafficking and extortion syndicate. The organization has long controlled drug trade in Rio’s favelas and has frequently engaged in armed conflict with the government and rival gangs.
Analysts point out that the police launched this large-scale operation ahead of next week’s “C40 World Cities Climate Summit” to clear gang influence from the slums and showcase their commitment to public security.
Currently, authorities are investigating the incident and have dispatched forensic teams to identify the victims. Rio police described the operation as costly, but said it was “of historic significance for maintaining community security and weakening drug lord power.”