At Least 64 Dead in Rio de Janeiro’s Deadliest Anti-Gang Operation
At least 64 people have been killed in what authorities describe as Rio de Janeiro’s largest and most lethal police operation targeting organised crime. The massive crackdown, known as Operation Containment, unfolded in the northern suburbs of Alemão and Penha, strongholds of the notorious Red Command (Comando Vermelho) gang.
According to state officials, four police officers were among the dead, while over 80 suspects were arrested. The confrontation erupted early Tuesday as 2,500 security personnel moved into gang-controlled territories. The Red Command retaliated with intense gunfire, burning barricades, and drone-dropped explosives, sparking chaos across the densely populated favelas.
State Governor Cláudio Castro confirmed that the large-scale raid aimed to dismantle the gang’s operational base near Rio’s international airport — an area long associated with drug trafficking and organised crime. Officials reported that at least 50 of those killed were identified as suspected gang members, though investigations are ongoing.