Fierce clashes between law enforcement agencies and drug cartels have erupted in Rio de Janeiro, killing at least 80 people. It was the largest armed confrontation in Brazil in decades, The Guardian reports.
About 2,500 police and special forces stormed the Alemao and Peña favelas, areas near the international airport that are considered the main bases of the “Red Command” group, one of the country’s most powerful drug cartels.
The operation began at dawn. In response, the militants opened fire, set cars on fire and built barricades. For the first time in Brazilian history, drug traffickers used combat FPV drones to drop explosives on police units.
Cartels that control up to 70% of Rio’s drug market have declared a lockdown, ordering residents not to leave their homes. By noon, the death toll had exceeded 80 people, including four police officers. Several law enforcement officers and civilians were injured.
Rio State Governor Claudio Castro said the city was effectively in a state of war. According to him, more than 100 people were detained during the operation and more than 40 automatic rifles were seized. At the same time, representatives of left-wing political forces criticized the actions of the security forces, calling them a “state massacre” and accusing the authorities of turning poor neighborhoods into active combat zones.
