In November 2010, there was a major security crisis in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro and some of its neighboring cities. The city's criminal drug trafficking factions initiated a series of attacks in response to the government placing permanent police forces into Rio's slums.
In response to the attacks, the local police forces with the aid of the Brazilian Army and Marine Corps initiated a large scale offensive against two of the largest drug trafficking headquarters in the city, located in the Vila Cruzeiro and the neighboring Complexo do Alemão. The operation was considered a success by the government and local media, and a large quantity of illegal drugs, weapons, and money were confiscated.
Overview
Violent acts by drug dealers consisted of incinerating cars, buses and trucks on the streets (over 181 motor vehicles were incinerated), and armed conflicts between the police and the drug dealers at different places of those cities. Being an elevated emergency situation, the local police, along with the BOPE, the Brazilian Army, and the Brazilian Marine Corps were summoned to restore peace in the city and counter-attack the drug traffickers by taking control of their headquarters in the favelas, located at the group of slums named Complexo do Alemão, which was finally taken by the police around 10:00 am of November 28.
By the end of the favela violence, over 40 people (almost all of them criminals) had been killed in the conflict and over 200 people arrested. Though the attacks ended, the police and military forces still occupy the Complexo do Alemão, the largest favela in the city of Rio de Janeiro.
Timeline of the crisis
Aftermath
Just after the occupation of the Complexo do Alemão and Vila Cruzeiro by the Army, the attacks on vehicles stopped and crisis came to an end. The police managed to apprehend around 40 tonnes of marijuana and 250 kilos of cocaine along with many other illicit drugs, dozens of weapons including pistols, assault rifles, explosives, machine guns, hundreds of stolen motorcycles and more than 30 stolen cars. The drugs were destroyed while the police were charged with the task of returning the stolen vehicles to their rightful owners. The losses suffered by the criminals are stated to surpass 200 million reais (around 120 million US dollars), not including the confiscated houses belonged to the faction's main leaders, fully equipped with many luxury items including multiple pools, jacuzzis and high level electronic hardware.
Through a deal between the State government and the Federal government, the troops remained stationed in the occupied area until a permanent police force was installed to maintain security. Despite the fact that most of the criminals managed to escape, the operation was considered by the local media as a major victory against crime in Rio de Janeiro and a turning point in the war against drug trafficking in Brazil.