Action, which repeats scenes from wars such as that in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip, exposes the growing power of organized crime in the country and the difficulties faced by public authorities in repressing drug trafficking
At least 60 suspects and 4 police officers died this Tuesday (28) during a mega operation in Rio de Janeiro in the Alemão and Penha complexes against . The operation was the most lethal in the history of the State of , and involved Military Police from the Special Operations Command and operational units of the PM in the capital and metropolitan region participating in the actions, and the Civil Police, which mobilized agents from all specialized police stations, districts, Core, the Anti-Money Laundering Department and the Undersecretariat of Intelligence.
The action, which repeats scenes from wars like that of , exposes the growing power of organized crime in the country and the difficulties faced by public authorities in repressing drug trafficking, with violent effects on residents of poor communities. “There are approximately 9 million square meters of disorder. Houses built irregularly, alleys that are impossible to patrol,” said Victor Santos, Rio’s Secretary of Public Security.
The Red Command reacted to the operation and launched bombs using drones, which transformed the region into a war scenario, with repercussions on important roads in the city, such as Avenida Brasil and Linha Amarela. In Alemão and Penha, at least 87 schools had their activities affected – 48 didn’t even make it to April. The total number of students impacted was 29 thousand.
According to the Police Masses report, produced by the Study Group on New Illegalisms at the Universidade Federal Fluminense (Geni/UFF), between 2007 and 2021, 17,929 police operations were carried out in favelas in the Metropolitan Region of Rio, of which 593 ended in massacres, with a total of 2,374 deaths. This represents 41% of the total deaths in police operations in the period. Furthermore, the study shows that Jacarezinho was, until then, the location with the highest number of deaths in massacres.
This mega-operation involved a true war apparatus, with:
- Around 2,500 police officers;
- Drones (the criminals even dropped bombs using these equipment);
- 31 rifles seized;
- Two helicopters;
- 32 ground armored vehicles used by security forces;
- 12 demolition vehicles from the Military Police Special Operations Support Center;
- Ambulances for rescue.
Remember the most lethal operations in Rio de Janeiro:
- Complexo do Alemão and Penha: 64 dead, 2025
- Jacarezinho: 28 dead, 2021
- Penha: 23 dead, 2022
- Complexo do Alemão: 19 dead, 2007
- Complexo do Alemão: 17 dead, 2021
*With information from Estadão Conteúdo
