Horrific images are reaching every corner of the world: police violence, chaos, and ever-growing rows of bodies. This is the situation in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which is currently experiencing the largest police operation in its history, with more than 100 confirmed deaths.
In the early hours of Tuesday, October 28, the governor of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Cláudio Castro, authorized the deployment of 2,500 members of the Military and Civil Police. This operation was quickly labeled “the bloodiest in the city’s history,” with 64 deaths. Today, three days later, the official death toll has doubled to 121, and it is still not final; the Department of Protection of Citizens’ Rights reports this toll has climbed to 132.
The operation was planned for over two months following a year-long investigation, and culminated in the arrest of 81 members of the Comando Vermelho drug trafficking group, as reported by the New York Times.
The media is now flooded with nightmarish images: rows of bodies being mourned by their families, houses and cars consumed by fire, drones attacking police officers, dozens of young people herded like sheep, columns of smoke rising on the horizon… The city is on edge, divided between paramilitary and drug cartel control, amid barricades and crossfire that has already claimed an unknown number of civilian lives.
Drug traffickers and police in Brazil: A bit of context
The police operation aimed to dismantle Comando Vermelho, one of Brazil’s most prolific drug gangs, involved in both drug and arms trafficking. According to Argentine media outlet El Destape, this organization emerged in the late 1970s, initially focusing on crimes such as bank robberies and kidnappings of businesspeople and prominent figures, before shifting its focus to drug trafficking. By the 90s, Comando Vermelho controlled 90% of Rio’s favelas, but its power waned …
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Author: Marian Venini / High Times
