Gunfire echoed through Rio de Janeiro’s hills on Tuesday as 2,500 security forces launched the city’s deadliest anti-gang assault, leaving 64 people dead including four officers.
The operation targeted the Comando Vermelho syndicate in the Alemao and Penha slum complexes, just miles from the international airport.
Smoke billowed over the skyline as gang members torched vehicles to block armored convoys. Drone grenades exploded mid-air, captured in police-released footage showing suspects fleeing into nearby forests.
“We confront narcoterrorism head-on,” declared Governor Claudio Castro on social media.
This raid doubles the toll of Rio’s previous record operation.
Timing Raises Eyebrows: Global Events Loom
The crackdown comes days before Rio hosts the C40 Mayors Summit on climate action and Prince William’s Earthshot Prize, featuring stars like Kylie Minogue and Sebastian Vettel. These events lead into COP30, the UN climate conference in Belém from November 10–21.
Rio has a pattern: major security sweeps precede global spotlights from the 2016 Olympics to the 2024 G20 and July BRICS summit.
A City on Edge
The assault paralyzed daily life:
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Dozens of schools and clinics shut
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Bus routes rerouted
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Traffic gridlocked across neighborhoods
Outside a public hospital, families wept as special forces rounded up shirtless detainees. Police executed 81 arrests while pursuing 250 warrants against drug lords and money launderers.
Critics Slam “Failed” Tactics
Civil groups condemned the military-style onslaught.
“This tragedy ignores the drug chain’s real roots,” said Carolina Ricardo, a security expert. “It’s a failed strategy.”
The federal Justice Minister revealed no prior request for national support, learning of the “bloody” raid via news.
As Rio prepares to shine globally, blood stains its streets and questions linger: Is force the answer, or fuel for the fire?
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