Rio’s Deadliest Police Operation Leaves 121 Dead as Governments Create Joint Crime Office

Overview

• Authorities report 121 dead, including four police officers, with 113 suspects detained and more than 100 weapons seized after clashes in the Alemão and Penha complexes.
• Police describe a planned “Bope wall” that forced gunmen into forested terrain to reduce risk to residents, while a public-safety NGO condemned scene handling after dozens of bodies were taken by locals to a neighborhood plaza.
• Investigators say recovered messages show Comando Vermelho leaders ordering punishments and setting security rotations; arrests include Thiago “Belão” Mendes and alleged financial operator Nicolas Fernandes Soares, as Edgar “Doca” Andrade remains at large.
• The crackdown exposed a national network, with at least 33 detainees from outside Rio and rifles bearing markings linked to other states, underscoring cross-border reinforcement of the faction.
• In response to the fallout, Rio and the federal government announced an Office to Combat Organized Crime as Justice Alexandre de Moraes called the governor and police chiefs to detail the operation under the ADPF das Favelas case.