Rio de Janeiro experienced a day of extreme violence on Tuesday, with scenes worthy of an urban war. At least 64 people died and more than 80 were arrested during the city's"largest operation in history" against drug trafficking, according to the G1 news website. The operation, targeting the criminal organization Comando Vermelho (CV), took place in the Penha and Alemão complexes, two of the largest and most populated favelas in the northern zone.

State Governor Cláudio Castro described the operation as"the largest ever carried out against the Red Command" and warned that the death toll could rise."The operation continues and the toll is partial," he said, also confirming that the criminals resisted with armed drones.

Among the dead are four police officers and at least 60 civilians, allegedly members of the criminal group. Authorities also reported the seizure of 50 firearms, including 42 assault rifles, and 81 arrests in total.

The operation began in the early hours of the morning with the deployment of 2,500 uniformed officers, who had arrest warrants for 100 suspects. The objective was to dismantle the territorial control of the Red Command, considered the most powerful drug gang in Rio and one of the largest in Brazil, along with the First Capital Command (PCC). During the offensive, the criminals stole more than 50 buses to use as barricades at various access points and attacked the forces with high-caliber weapons and armed drones. Local witnesses reported that the clashes lasted for hours, while hundreds of favela residents fled or took refuge in their homes from the crossfire.

The Civil Police confirmed that the operation seeks to dismantle the drug trafficking, arms trafficking, and extortion network that controls much of northern Rio."We are looking for the leaders of the Red Command and their lieutenants," they said in an official statement.

According to the G1 website, the operation resulted in simultaneous clashes in various neighborhoods, with vehicles set on fire and street closures. Images released by local media showed smoking barricades, buses crossing avenues, and helicopters hovering over the combat zones.

The scale of the operation surpassed any other recorded in Rio de Janeiro. Castro claimed it was an action"to combat the territorial expansion of organized crime," but social organizations denounced the impact on civilians and demanded safeguards for favela residents.

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