132 dead in Rio police raid, including four police officers

At least 132 people, including four law enforcement officers, were killed Tuesday during a large-scale operation by Brazilian police in Rio de Janeiro, according to media reports.

The operation, which took place in the city’s favelas – poor neighborhoods long plagued by organized crime – was the deadliest in Rio’s history, the BBC reported. Authorities said the raid targeted drug gangs that continue to control large areas of the city, with the aim of targeting the powerful Comando Vermelho, or “Red Command” organization, which controls large areas of the city.

The local public defender’s office announced the death toll, although Rio state Governor Cláudio Castro warned that forensic work was still underway. He said the official death toll he had received was 58, but added it was “certain to change”.

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Police officers escort a suspect arrested during Operação Contençao out of the Vila Cruzeiro favela in the Penha complex in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Tuesday. At least 2,500 security forces took part in an operation to arrest drug traffickers. (Photo by Mauro Pimintel/AFP via Getty Images)

“To be completely honest with you, the conflict took place not in a built-up area, but in the woods,” Castro said. “So I don’t think anyone was walking in the woods on a day of conflict. And that’s why we can easily classify them.”

Authorities said gang members allegedly used drones to drop explosives on police officers during the operation.

“This is how criminals treat the Rio police: with bombs dropped by drones. This is the scale of the challenge we face. This is not an ordinary crime, but narcoterrorism,” Castro said.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said he was shocked by the killings and expressed surprise that the federal government had not been informed in advance of the operation.

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Rio de Janeiro’s public security chief Victor dos Santos speaks to the media as weapons (not pictured) are on display, which police say were captured in what was the deadliest police operation in Brazil’s history. (Reuters/Tita Barros)

On X, formerly Twitter, Castro said the raid had been planned for more than two months after a year-long investigation and that “the scenario encountered was the one anticipated.”

He also paid tribute to the four officers killed during the operation.

“Marcus Vinícius Cardoso de Carvalho, commissioner of the 53rd Precinct; Rodrigo Velloso Cabral, of the 39th Precinct; and Cleiton Serafim Gonçalves and Heber Carvalho da Fonseca, both sergeants of the BOPE, gave their lives fulfilling the duty to protect the population of Fluminense,” the governor wrote.

On Wednesday, Castro’s office said 113 people were arrested, 10 teenagers arrested and authorities seized 91 rifles, 29 pistols, 14 explosive devices and a ton of cocaine.

Officials display firearms during a news conference, which police say were captured during what was the deadliest police operation in Brazilian history, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, October 29, 2025. (Reuters/Tita Barros)

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The deadly raid reignited debate in Brazil over police tactics, human rights and the government’s ongoing struggle to control powerful gangs holed up in Rio’s poor communities.