Authorities in Rio de Janeiro have announced the seizure of more than $2 million worth of weapons following a large-scale anti-drug operation — the deadliest in Brazil’s history — that left over one hundred people dead earlier this week.
The massive police operation, conducted on Tuesday across two favela complexes, resulted in the deaths of at least 117 suspected criminals and four police officers, according to the most recent official figures.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the Rio de Janeiro state government described the haul as “one of the largest seizures” of military-grade weaponry ever made in a single day. Officers recovered a total of 120 weapons, including 93 rifles, with an estimated value of 12.8 million reais (approximately $2.4 million).
In addition to firearms, police also discovered large quantities of ammunition, explosives, drugs, and military equipment. The operation targeted Comando Vermelho (Red Command), one of Brazil’s oldest and most powerful criminal organisations, which exerts control over significant areas of Rio de Janeiro.
Authorities revealed that many of the weapons had originated from abroad, including countries such as Argentina, Belgium, Germany, Peru, Russia and Venezuela. Some of the firearms, such as AK-47 and FAL rifles, are typically used in active war zones. A number of the seized rifles were identified as belonging to foreign military forces.
“We are looking at an arsenal typical of a war scenario,” said Felipe Curi, Rio de Janeiro’s Civil Police Secretary, in an official statement. Curi added that investigations were now underway to trace the smuggling routes used by criminal groups to transport the weapons into the city.
The police operation has, however, provoked a fierce backlash from human rights organisations, while the United Nations has urged Brazilian authorities to launch an independent investigation into the incident. Relatives of some of the deceased have accused security forces of carrying out extrajudicial killings. An AFP journalist present at the scene reported witnessing a decapitated body.
Despite the controversy, recent opinion polls suggest that a majority of Brazilians support the police action, which Rio state Governor Claudio Castro hailed as a major victory in the fight against what he termed “narco-terrorism.”
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, often criticised by opponents for adopting a lenient stance on law enforcement, has also struck a tougher tone in the wake of the raid.
“We cannot accept that organised crime continues to destroy families, oppress residents, and spread drugs and violence throughout our cities,” Lula wrote on the social media platform X.
In response to the surge in violence, the president has introduced new legislative measures, including a bill proposing a 30-year prison sentence for individuals convicted of membership in criminal gangs. On Thursday, he signed into law a series of additional provisions aimed at strengthening Brazil’s campaign against organised crime.