65 reported killed in Rio’s worst day of violence amid police favela raids

Rio de Janeiro experienced its deadliest police operation in history, with at least 65 people killed during predawn raids across the city. The operation — dubbed Operação Contenção (Containment Operation) — targeted the Comando Vermelho (CV / Red Command), Rio’s most powerful criminal faction.

The raids sparked intense gunfights in and around the Alemão and Penha favelas, home to roughly 300,000 residents. Train and subway services across the northern zone were thrown into disarray as shootouts erupted near stations in Maracanã and Manguinhos. Gunshot victims flooded local hospitals; at least four police officers were among the dead, and eight officers and four residents were wounded.

Background: Expanding control of criminal groups

Over four decades, Rio’s favelas have increasingly come under the authority of heavily armed organizations — chiefly the Red Command, the Pure Third Command, and sprawling militia groups that often include rogue police. Recently, the CV has launched a major offensive to seize militia-controlled areas in western Rio.

Victor Santos, Rio’s security secretary, said the objective of Operação Contenção was to capture key Red Command figures who dominate vast regions of Rio and are expanding into the Amazon.

Chaos ordered by cartel leadership

Authorities say the CV’s top leadership — cornered in the Complexo da Penha — ordered mass disruption across the city, including attempts to block access to Galeão International Airport. Criminals were also seen trying to shut down major motorways, and a group attempted to loot the Dom market on Itararé Avenue, near Complexo do Alemão.

Governor Cláudio Castro declared the city “at war”, accusing the CV of “narco-terrorism.”

Results and seizures

The Civil and Military Police reported the following results from the crackdown:

• 58 traffickers killed
• 81 traffickers arrested
• 80 rifles seized
• 28 grenades seized
• 30 stolen cars recovered

A detailed breakdown of seized rifles shows a substantial haul of military-grade weaponry:

• 9× AR-15 (5.56×45mm)
• 1× Type 56-2 (7.62×39mm)
• 1× HK G416 (5.56×45mm)
• 4× AR-10 (7.62×51mm)
• 1× Beretta RX4 Storm (5.56×45mm)
• 1× Zastava M70AB2 (7.62×39mm)
• 2× FAL (7.62×51mm)
• 1× PTR-91 (7.62×51mm)

Political fallout

The operation has sparked tension between state and federal authorities.

Brazil’s Minister of Justice and Public Security Ricardo Lewandowski said Governor Castro never requested federal support for the operation — and criticized the absence of coordination:

“Combating crime … requires planning, intelligence, and coordination of the forces. … I cannot judge, because I am not sitting in the governor’s chair.”

Castro countered that the federal government refused to provide armored vehicles, blaming President Lula’s opposition to a military intervention decree (GLO):

“Every day there is a new reason for not cooperating

A city on edge

Police throughout Rio were placed on high alert fearing retaliatory attacks. As the violence spread across multiple neighborhoods, authorities described the capital’s condition as one of extreme chaos.