At least 64 people were killed in a major police operation targeting organized crime in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday, security officials told CNN Brasil. The dead included four Brazilian police officers, the official added.
Footage obtained by CNN Brazil shows multiple fires breaking out at the scene of the attack and gunshots heard in the background.
Authorities have launched an operation aimed at “combat the territorial expansion” of the criminal organization Commando Vermelho, the Rio de Janeiro government added in a long thread on X. The operation has been underway for more than a year and involved more than 2,500 military and civilian law enforcement personnel, the government said.
According to think tank Insight Crime, Commando Vermelho (CV) is the oldest criminal organization operating in Brazil. Its name, which means “red command” in Portuguese, refers to its origins as a left-wing prisoner of war organization formed during the military dictatorship that ruled Brazil until 1985.
Since then, CV has become a large transnational criminal group involved in drug trafficking and extortion. InSight Crime reports that the country has struggled with increased violence from state and other criminal militias in recent years.
At least 81 people were arrested on Tuesday, according to a social media post from the Rio de Janeiro Police Department.
Rio de Janeiro Governor Claudio Castro told reporters that the death toll could rise as the operation continues. Authorities also claimed on social media that at least 42 rifles were seized during the operation.
During the raid, gang members allegedly targeted police with drones, authorities said.
“In retaliation, criminals used drones to attack police officers at the Peña Complex,” the Rio de Janeiro state government said in a post on X, sharing a video that appeared to show the drones firing projectiles from the sky.
“Despite the attack, security forces remain steadfast in the fight against crime,” the state government added.
“This is the magnitude of the challenge we face,” Castro said in his post, before using a phrase popular among tough-on-crime leaders in the United States and Latin America. “This is no longer a common crime, it’s narco-terrorism.”
Castro also asked affected neighbors to stay indoors while the operation was underway.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
