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At least 132 people, including four law enforcement officers, were killed Tuesday during a large-scale Brazilian police raid in Rio de Janeiro, according to media reports.
The operation, which took place in the city’s favelas — poor neighborhoods long plagued by organized crime — was the deadliest in Rio’s history, the BBC reported. Authorities said the raid targeted drug gangs that continue to control vast areas of the city, with the objective of targeting the powerful Comando Vermelho, or “Red Command” organization, which controls vast areas of the city.
The local public defender’s office announced the death toll, though Rio state Governor Cláudio Castro cautioned that forensic work was still underway. He said the official number he had received was 58 dead but added it was “certain to change.”
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Police officers escort a suspect arrested during Operacao Contencao out of the Vila Cruzeiro favela, in the Penha complex, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Tuesday. At least 2,500 security forces agents took part in an operation to arrest drug traffickers. (Photo by MAURO PIMENTEL/AFP via Getty Images)
“To be quite honest with you, the conflict wasn’t in a built-up area — it was all in the woods,” Castro said. “So I don’t believe anyone was just strolling in the woods on a day of conflict. And that’s why we can easily classify them.”
Authorities said gang members allegedly used drones to drop explosives on police officers as the operation unfolded.
“This is how the Rio police are treated by criminals: with bombs dropped by drones. This is the scale of the challenge we face. This is not ordinary crime, but narco-terrorism,” Castro said.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva expressed shock over the killings and said he was surprised the federal government had not been informed about the raid beforehand.
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Rio de Janeiro’s public security chief Victor dos Santos addresses the media as weapons (not pictured) are displayed, which the police said were captured during what was the deadliest police operation in Brazil’s history. (REUTERS/Tita Barros)
On X, formerly Twitter, Castro said the raid had been planned for more than two months following a year-long investigation and that “the scenario encountered was the one that had been anticipated.”
He also paid tribute to the four officers killed during the operation.
“Marcus Vinícius Cardoso de Carvalho, commissioner of the 53rd Police Station; Rodrigo Velloso Cabral, from the 39th Police Station; and Cleiton Serafim Gonçalves and Heber Carvalho da Fonseca, both sergeants of BOPE, gave their lives fulfilling the duty to protect the Fluminense population,” the governor wrote.
On Wednesday, Castro’s office said 113 people had been arrested, 10 teenagers were detained, and authorities seized 91 rifles, 29 pistols, 14 explosive devices, and one ton of cocaine.
Officials display firearms during a press conference, which the police said were captured during what was the deadliest police operation in Brazil’s history, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, October 29, 2025. (REUTERS/Tita Barros)
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The deadly raid has renewed debate in Brazil over police tactics, human rights, and the government’s ongoing struggle to control powerful gangs entrenched in Rio’s impoverished communities.