The death toll from a massive police operation in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro has risen to 121, including four police officers, according to figures by state authorities yesterday. The raid, which began Tuesday, mobilised about 2,500 civil and military police officers in a large-scale crackdown against the Red Command, one of Brazil’s most powerful criminal organisations. 

 

 

According to officials, the two-day operation, the deadliest in the state’s history, caused widespread disruption across Rio’s North Zone, including road closures, halted bus services, and the suspension of classes in 83 schools. Police said 63 bodies were recovered during searches in the region. The operation, called Containment, began after more than a year of investigation into the Red Command’s activities. Authorities previously reported 81 arrests and the seizure of 93 rifles, more than half a ton of drugs, and multiple drones and explosives used by the group.