International News: Brazilian security agencies launched "Operation Containment" versus criminals and gangsters in the capital, Rio do Janeiro. A gunfight tapped out between 2,500 police officers and criminals. Sixty-four people, including four police officers, were killed in the operation. The large number of deaths has raised international questions.
Governor Claudio Castro issued a statement saying that the police had eliminated 60 criminals and detained 81 people. During the operation, increasingly than 250 trespassing and search warrants were issued, and 42 rifles were seized. This operation was launched versus drug trafficking and organized crime. The police targeted the Commando Vermelogang.
Brazil's oldest gang
The Commando Vermelho (CV) was founded in the 1970s at the Ilha Grande prison. It is Brazil's oldest and most powerful criminal organization. It is moreover known as the Red Command. In the 1970s, worldwide criminals and leftist leaders were held together in the prison. These leaders and criminals worked an organization. The organization's purpose was to protect themselves and defend themselves versus prison violence.
How did the gang get this name?
In 1979, prison authorities named it Commando Vermelho. In the 1980s, the gang spread outside the prison system into the poor neighborhoods of Rio de Janeiro. Gradually, it became involved in the cocaine and other drug trade. The gang began collaborating with Colombian cartels and Amazonian traffickers to sell drugs. By 1985, the gang controlled 70% of the drug trade in Rio's slums.
There are 30,000 members of this gang in Brazil
The gang's current leader is Luiz Fernando da Costa, moreover known as "Fernandinho Beira-Mar." He controls the gang from prison. Currently, the gang has approximately 30,000 members operating throughout Brazil. Commando Vermelho is primarily involved in drug trafficking, stovepipe trafficking, extortion, and kidnapping.
Red Command's modus operandi has evolved over time. In 2025, CV moreover used digital methods. They created Rotax Mobili, a ride-sharing app used to smuggle drugs. It was later shut lanugo by Rio police.
This gang enforces its rules in poor neighborhoods and maintains tenancy through violence and fear. The gang moreover distributes supplies in poor neighborhoods. Emerging from a prison in Rio de Janeiro, this gang has now established tenancy in residential areas.
