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Operation Containment in RJ: 117 criminals killed, 4 officers fallen, 93 rifles seized. Full analysis of reasons, criticisms, and territorial reconquest.

By Carlos Magalhães using Grok xAI Fast
October 30, 2025

The State of Rio de Janeiro experienced, on October 28, 2025, one of the most intense and controversial chapters in its recent history of combating organized crime. Operation Containment, launched by state security forces in the Alemão and Penha complexes in the North Zone of the capital, marked a turning point in the fight against narcoterrorism that plagues the Fluminense territory. Under the command of Governor Cláudio Castro, the action aimed not only to serve judicial warrants but to reaffirm the state’s legitimate monopoly on violence in a scenario that can already be described as a non-international armed conflict. In this article, we analyze the motives, results, controversies, and constitutional implications of this historic operation.

Reasons and Objectives: Containing the Expansion of Narcoterrorism

Operation Containment did not emerge out of nowhere. It is part of a permanent initiative by the State Government to halt the territorial advance of the Red Command (CV), Rio’s largest criminal faction, which has expanded its domain beyond the state’s borders, reaching states such as Pará, Espírito Santo, and even the North of the country. Based on investigations by the Drug Enforcement Division (DRE), initiated in January 2024 from anonymous tips, the operation was authorized by the 42nd Criminal Court of the Capital to execute 100 arrest warrants and 180 search and seizure warrants, many issued by the Pará Judiciary.

The objectives were clear and strategic: dismantle the hierarchical structure of the CV in Penha and Alemão, arrest leaders such as Edgar Alves (aka “Doca”), the faction’s financial operator, and interrupt the flow of drugs and weapons that sustains the “armed control” of the communities. Police reports reveal a routine of torture, extortion, and systematic use of violence to dominate territories, including areas previously controlled by militias. In essence, the operation sought to reconquer Fluminense soil, exercising the constitutional duty of the State to guarantee national sovereignty and public order.

The Forces Involved: An Unprecedented Mobilization

Approximately 2,500 agents were mobilized, representing the largest joint operation in Rio’s recent history. Participants included:

• Civil Police: Specialized divisions (DRE, CORE), district stations, and the Department for Combating Money Laundering, focusing on intelligence and arrests.
• Military Police: Special Police Operations Battalion (BOPE), Special Operations Command (COE), operational units from the capital and Metropolitan Region.
• Logistical Support: 32 armored vehicles, two helicopters, 12 demolition vehicles, real-time monitoring drones, and ambulances from the Rescue and Salvage Group.

This coalition, equipped with advanced technology, faced a war arsenal: burning barricades, 71 buses blocking roads such as Avenida Brasil and Linha Vermelha, and even criminal drones dropping grenades on security forces.

Results: Victories on the Battlefield, But at High Costs

The operation’s toll is impressive in terms of crime suppression but tragic in lives lost. As of now, the official balance records:

• Criminals Killed: 117 (considered “narcoterrorists” by the Civil Police Secretariat).
• Officers Killed: 4 heroes fallen in the line of duty:
• Delegate Marcus Vinícius Cardoso de Carvalho (Civil Police).
• Agent Rodrigo Velloso Cabral (Civil Police).
• Sergeant Heber Carvalho da Fonseca, 39 years old (BOPE).
• Sergeant Cleiton Serafim Gonçalves, 42 years old (BOPE, specialist in shooting and tactical support).
• Arrests: 113, including 10 adolescents and one financial operator linked to “Doca.”
• Seizures: 93 rifles (some of foreign origin, including from the Armed Forces of Venezuela, Peru, and Argentina—with indications of Cuban origin in parallel investigations), 26 pistols, half a ton of drugs, 38 grenades, 9 motorcycles, and 30 recovered stolen cars.

These numbers surpass previous operations, such as Jacarezinho (28 killed, 2021) and Vila Cruzeiro (24 killed, 2022), making Containment the deadliest in the state’s history—and in the country, eclipsing even the Carandiru Massacre (111 killed, 1992).

Controversies: Criticisms, Support, and the Shadows of Manipulation

The operation did not escape controversy. Criticisms came from entities such as the UN, Amnesty International, the Federal Public Defender’s Office (DPU), and the Senate Human Rights Committee, which labeled it a “setback in human rights” and a “slaughter,” pointing to excessive lethality and impact on 280,000 residents (48 schools closed, stray bullet injuries). The STF, via the Favela ADPF, signals the resumption of rules for operations in communities, with a hearing scheduled for November 3 by Minister Alexandre de Moraes.

On the other hand, support is vehement from sectors that view the action as necessary. Governor Cláudio Castro called it a “success,” honoring the fallen officers and offering R$100,000 for information on “Doca.” Deputies such as Zucco (PL-RS) and Bolsonaro-aligned leaders highlight federal omission, while the Fluminense people, held hostage by terror, demand more such actions.

Body Manipulation: Procedural Fraud in Favor of Criminals

One of the most outrageous episodes was the manipulation of bodies by residents and faction members. Civil Police videos show CV allies removing camouflage clothing, bulletproof vests, and weapons from the corpses, leaving them in underwear or shorts to “decharacterize” them as innocents. More than 70 bodies were dragged from the forest to Praça São Lucas in Penha, lined up for “identification,” obstructing forensics and constituting procedural fraud. Secretary Felipe Curi quipped: “It was a miracle that took place.” The Civil Police opened an inquiry to punish those responsible, who aimed to turn a combat zone into a scene of “civilian massacre.”

Weapons of Foreign Origin: The Cuban and Venezuelan Trail

Among the seizures, rifles bearing marks of foreign armed forces stand out, including Venezuelan ones—confirming cross-border trafficking routes. Investigations point to Cuban origin in similar batches, via Venezuela, reinforcing allegations of complicity by authoritarian regimes with regional narcoterrorism.

Minister Lewandowski’s Lie: Absence of Federal Support

Justice Minister Ricardo Lewandowski denied federal support in an interview alongside PF Director Andrei Rodrigues, claiming “lack of formal communication.” However, Rodrigues revealed that PF-RJ was consulted at the operational level and refused participation, deeming the operation “unreasonable.” Lewandowski interrupted the director, exposing contradiction: if there were real support, why deny armored vehicles and intelligence, as Castro complained? This “lie” highlights federal abandonment, with Lula “appalled” only after the chaos, while the state fought alone.

Continuation of the Operation: The Constitutional Duty of Reconquest

Containment does not end on October 28. It continues with the renewal of the National Force until December 2025, an integrated task force with PF and PRF, and slots in federal prisons for captured leaders. It fulfills the constitutional duty (Art. 144 of the CF/88) to reconquer territories lost to crime, which commits an attack on national sovereignty by maintaining enclaves outside the State—a heinous crime equivalent to armed sedition.

The State of Non-International Armed Conflict in Rio de Janeiro

Rio lives in a non-international armed conflict, as defined by International Humanitarian Law (Additional Protocol II to the Geneva Conventions). Factions like the CV operate as non-state actors with territorial control, war weapons, and paramilitary tactics, challenging the state monopoly on force. The operation exposed this: drones with grenades, retaliations with 71 burned buses, and blockades in 20 neighborhoods. It is not “urban violence,” but asymmetric warfare that demands a proportional and strategic response.

Conclusion: From Containment to Lasting Victory

Operation Containment was a war cry from the State against chaos. Despite the losses—and manipulated narratives—it saved lives by dismantling CV terror. Rio demands genuine federal integration, intelligence over confrontation, and policies to prevent narcoterrorism. Governor Cláudio Castro, leading this front, honors the security legacy Brazil needs. May this containment turn into total reconquest, restoring peace and sovereignty on Fluminense soil. The people deserve more than promises: they deserve the State back.