RIO DE JANEIRO – Brazilian police and military launched a massive raid on a notorious drug gang in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday, arresting 81 suspects amid intense firefights that left at least 60 gang members and four officers dead, officials said.
The operation involved around 2,500 police and soldiers, backed by helicopters and armored vehicles, targeting the Red Command syndicate in the sprawling low-income slums of Complexo de Alemao and Penha complexes, authorities stated.
Described as one of Brazil’s bloodiest police raids in recent history, the violent crackdown has sparked calls from human rights groups for investigations into the deaths.
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