In what has become the deadliest police operation in Rio de Janeiro’s history, at least 64 people, including four police officers, lost their lives during a massive law enforcement sweep targeting the notorious Comando Vermelho (Red Command) gang. The raid, codenamed Operation Containment, unfolded on October 28, 2025, in the sprawling Alemao and Penha favela complexes—areas infamous for their entrenched criminal activity and poverty, located on the city’s northern outskirts near the international airport.
Governor Claudio Castro, addressing the public in a video statement, confirmed that 60 alleged criminals had been “neutralised” and 81 individuals were taken into custody. “What do we want? A Rio de Janeiro and a Brazil free of crime,” Castro asserted, underlining the state’s determination to crack down on organized crime. “And we will not retreat, because we believe the more public safety works, the freer you and your family will be.” According to Reuters, more than 250 arrest and search warrants were executed as part of the operation, with approximately 2,500 security personnel—backed by armored vehicles and helicopters—deployed in the offensive.
The operation quickly escalated into a scene reminiscent of urban warfare. As police advanced, the Red Command responded fiercely with gunfire, burning barricades, and, in a shocking display of tactical escalation, bombs dropped from drones. Governor Castro even posted a video on social media showing what he described as a drone launching a projectile, highlighting the dangers faced by law enforcement. “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 narcoterrorism,” he stated, as reported by DW.
Officials said the raid was the culmination of a year-long investigation, aiming to disrupt the territorial expansion of the Red Command, which has increasingly asserted control over drug trafficking routes and hillside favelas. State police revealed that one of those arrested was the “right-hand man” of a senior gang leader. More than 200 kilograms (441 pounds) of drugs and dozens of firearms were seized, according to BBC, as authorities sought to serve over 250 warrants.
But the violence and scale of the operation have drawn sharp criticism, both domestically and from abroad. The United Nations Human Rights Office expressed horror at the deadly outcome, urging “prompt and effective investigations.” In a statement on social media, the UN office said, “This deadly operation furthers the trend of extreme lethal consequences of police operations in Brazil’s marginalized communities.” Human Rights Watch also weighed in, warning against a new bill in the state legislature that would pay police officers large bonuses for “neutralizing” suspects, cautioning that such financial incentives could lead to even more police killings. “Giving bonuses to police for killings is not only outright brutal but also undermines public security by creating a financial incentive for officers to shoot rather than arrest suspects,” said Cesar Munoz, Brazil director at HRW, according to DW.
For residents of the Alemao and Penha complexes—home to roughly 300,000 people—the operation turned daily life upside down. Locals described the area as a “war zone,” with road closures, gunfire echoing through the hills, and reports of stray bullets injuring bystanders. Al Jazeera’s Monica Yanakiew, reporting from the scene, spoke to distraught relatives of those killed. “These are some relatives of the people that were taken here that are very angry,” Yanakiew recounted. “They say that there are some 20 bodies up the hill, which they can’t take to the hospital.”
While the Red Command remains the dominant drug-trafficking organization in Rio, other criminal groups and militias—sometimes formed by former police officers—also exert control over large swathes of the city. “Sixty percent of the territory of the state of Rio de Janeiro is either controlled by drug gangs or by the militia, which were formal policemen that decided to charge people that live in the slums to pay them security fees,” explained Yanakiew for Al Jazeera. The Red Command itself emerged in the 1980s as a major player in the global cocaine trade, partnering with Colombian cartels and Amazonian traffickers to distribute narcotics. Brazil now ranks second only to the United States in gross cocaine consumption, with more than 180,000 cocaine trafficking incidents documented in 2023 and nearly 130,000 kilograms seized, according to government figures cited by Al Jazeera.
Police raids of this magnitude are not new to Rio’s favelas, but their frequency and lethality have been rising. In 2024 alone, about 700 people died during police operations in the city—an average of nearly two deaths per day. The previous deadliest raid occurred in 2021, when armed police stormed the Jacarezinho favela, killing at least 25 people. Such operations, often justified as necessary to restore order, have repeatedly sparked debate over police violence and the effectiveness of militarized tactics in combating organized crime.
The timing of Operation Containment has raised eyebrows, coming just days before Rio is set to host high-profile international events: the C40 World Mayors Summit and Prince William’s Earthshot Prize, both scheduled for the following week. Later, the United Nations COP30 climate summit will open on November 10 in Belem, in northern Brazil. According to BBC, it is not uncommon for Brazilian authorities to launch large-scale police actions ahead of major global gatherings—a pattern seen before the 2014 World Cup, 2016 Olympics, last year’s G20 summit, and the 2025 BRICS summit.
Political tensions are also simmering in the background. With national elections looming in 2026, the issue of criminal violence and drug trafficking is poised to take center stage. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who recently announced his intention to run for re-election, faces mounting pressure from right-wing critics demanding that criminal gangs be officially designated as terrorist organizations—a step the current government has so far resisted. “The government does not want to consider these criminal gangs as terrorists, as the right in Brazil wants,” noted Yanakiew for Al Jazeera. “So this is an ongoing debate now.”
As Rio de Janeiro prepares to welcome international dignitaries and global attention, the scars of Operation Containment remain fresh. The city’s ongoing struggle with organized crime, heavy-handed policing, and the quest for public safety continues to play out on the world stage, raising difficult questions about justice, security, and the price of peace in Brazil’s favelas.
