"The power lies with the state" 64 dead in police operation against drug gangs in Rio de Janeiro

Dozens of people have been killed in a major operation in Rio de Janeiro. The police took massive action against the Comando Vermelho drug cartel.

Keystone-SDA

29.10.2025, 04:06

29.10.2025, 06:49

SDA

At least 64 people were killed in Rio de Janeiro during hours of firefights between security forces and criminals. Special task forces from the criminal and military police entered the Alemão favela and the Penha district in the north of the Brazilian coastal metropolis in a large-scale operation against the Comando Vermelho (Red Command) crime syndicate. In the process, 81 suspected gang members were arrested, as the governor of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Cláudio Castro, said.

According to media reports, the operation was the bloodiest police operation in the history of the state of Rio de Janeiro. "We are acting together with all our strength to make it clear that power lies with the state," said Castro at a press conference in the command center of the security forces. "We will continue the fight against organized crime with determination."

Comando Vermelho is involved in drug trafficking

Comando Vermelho is one of the largest crime syndicates in the South American country and is primarily active in drug trafficking. According to the authorities, a regional leader of the group and the financial director of one of the gang's top bosses were arrested during the operation. The police also confiscated over 90 rapid-fire weapons and more than 200 kilograms of drugs.

At least 2,500 police officers were involved in the operation, which also involved two helicopters and dozens of armored vehicles. Criminals set fire to barricades and cars, dropped explosive devices from drones and opened fire on the officers. Four police officers were killed in the operation and nine others were shot. Three civilians were also caught in the crossfire.

Videos showed clouds of black smoke rising over the neighborhoods. During one of the fiercest phases of the fighting, over 200 shots whipped through the favela in one minute. Black-clad police in combat gear stormed through the narrow alleyways of the slums with assault rifles at the ready.

The civil war-like conditions also had an impact on city life. Over 100 bus routes had to be changed due to the fighting. Several universities and schools canceled classes. Around 280,000 people live in the affected districts. "This is the reality. We deeply regret that people have been injured, but this is a necessary, intelligently planned measure that will continue," Rio de Janeiro's security minister, Victor Santos, told TV Globo.

Brazil's police kill 17 people a day

Hardly any other country in the world kills as many people in police operations as Brazil. In 2024, security forces in the South American country killed 6,243 people - an average of 17 people per day, according to the Public Security Yearbook. In the USA, police officers were responsible for the deaths of 1,378 people last year, while 22 people were shot dead by officers in Germany.

However, police operations in Europe cannot be compared with those in Brazil: Many poor districts are controlled by heavily armed drug gangs. When the police enter the favelas to execute an arrest warrant or search for drugs, they are often met with volleys of assault rifles. The operations in the winding alleyways of the slums of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo are more like military operations than police action. However, human rights activists accuse the police of often using excessive force and showing little consideration for the residents of the favelas.

Human rights activists criticize bloody operations

The United Nations Commission on Human Rights has called for an investigation into the bloody police operation in Rio de Janeiro. "We are appalled by the police operations in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, which have reportedly already claimed the lives of more than 60 people, including four police officers," it said in a statement. "They continue the trend of extremely deadly operations in Brazil's most isolated communities. We remind the authorities of their obligations under international law and call for an immediate investigation."

The human rights organization Amnesty International also criticized the operation. "Public safety is not achieved with blood," the group said in a statement. "The operation, with the most deaths in Rio de Janeiro's history, reveals the failure of the state's security policy and puts the city in a state of terror."