Police raid in Rio de Janeiro results in a minimum of 13 deaths.

At least 13 people have been killed in a police raid in a suburb of Rio de Janeiro. One of them was the leader of a drug gang from the north of Brazil, local authorities report. Two people have also been arrested and a large amount of weapons have been seized, a police spokesperson reports.

The action was aimed at the arrest of members of the criminal organization Comando Vermelho, which is mainly active in drug trafficking.

When the officers arrived at the slum, they were attacked by criminals and a fierce firefight ensued, a police spokesman said. Two women were injured in that firefight, but they are out of danger.

The drug gang has been responsible for the deaths of 40 police officers in the northern state of Pará since 2021, according to the police.