Brazilian police operation in Rio favelas leaves at least 8 dead, including local drug boss

Military police patrol during a police operation in the Morro dos Prazeres community in Rio de Janeiro, Wednesday, March 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

RIO DE JANEIRO — A Brazilian police operation in Rio de Janeiro favelas on Wednesday killed seven presumed drug traffickers, including a gang chief, as well as a local resident caught in the crossfire, law enforcement officials said.

Claudio Augusto dos Santos, a drug-trafficking boss and member of the notorious Red Command criminal organization, was among those killed in the operation in central Rio, Secretary of the Military Police Col. Marcelo de Menezes said in a press conference.

In retaliation, police said “criminals” set fire to a bus and blocked roads in Rio’s central zone. Some attempted to steal bus keys to use the vehicles to block the roads. Five people were arrested for acts of vandalism, police said.

Marcio Sousa, the driver of the bus set alight, reported that the attackers boarded the vehicle with two bottles of gasoline.

“It all happened very fast,” Sousa told The Associated Press during an interview. “There is no security. Rio de Janeiro is like this -- it is not for amateurs.”

Police set up the massive raid after localizing dos Santos using intelligence, de Menezes said.

Some 150 military police officers were involved in the operation which targeted the sprawling urban communities of Prazeres, Fallet, Fogueteiro, Coroa, Escondidinho and Paula Ramos, according to the military police on X, who also said that weapons including rifles, pistols and revolvers were seized.

`Narco-terrorists’

Dos Santos, the leader of drug-trafficking in Prazeres favela, was injured during confrontations, police said in a statement. He was taken to nearby hospital but did not survive his injuries, police said, adding that a woman who was with dos Santos was also hit and taken to the same health unit.

Police said there were approximately 10 outstanding arrest warrants targeting dos Santos, who had 135 entries on his criminal record. Authorities said he was also involved in the murder of Italian tourist Roberto Bardella, 52, in December 2016, who had entered the neighborhood by mistake with his cousin.

Dos Santos also led the criminal group that carried out a shooting attack on the city hall building in 2011, police said.

Police also reported a local couple was taken hostage and the man was killed in the shootout that ensued. The woman was rescued. Two police officers were also injured during the operation.

Military police personnel will remain in the area indefinitely to ensure security and guarantee freedom of movement, de Menezes said, who referred to drug traffickers as " narco-terrorists " -- a term used by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Last year, a huge raid against Red Command resulted in more than 120 deaths in Penha and Complexo de Alemao favelas, the most lethal in Rio’s history. The death toll sparked protests and calls for Gov. Claudio Castro’s resignation.

`Panic and fear’

Wednesday’s operation also generated criticism, including by left-wing state lawmaker Renata Souza.

“Another day of panic and fear in Rio de Janeiro,” Souza said on X. “This is Governor Claudio Castro’s policy of public insecurity, without planning and or intelligence” that fails to produce concrete results and “produces death,” she said.

Separately, also on Wednesday, a specialized task force launched a nationwide operation across 15 Brazilian states to fight criminal organizations, drug and arms trafficking, money laundering and other crimes, federal police said in a statement.

Authorities said some 116 people were arrested, more than 450,000 reais (around US$85,000) seized and 97 million reais (some US$18 million) worth of assets and funds frozen. One boat and 86 vehicles were also seized, police added.

Red Command has more than doubled its presence since 2023 and criminal gangs are now active in nearly half of the Brazilian Amazon’s municipalities. A mega police operation targeting the PCC and its money laundering scheme involving investment funds and the fuel sector last August illustrated the depth of the criminal organization’s infiltration in the country’s financial system.

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Eléonore Hughes And Diarlei Rodrigues, The Associated Press