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In a statement published on the social network X, Lula announced that he had ordered Justice Minister Ricardo Lewandowski and Federal Police Chief Andrei Augusto Passos to travel to Rio to coordinate urgent actions with Governor Claudio Castro. “We cannot accept that organized crime continues to destroy families, oppress residents, and spread drugs and violence throughout our cities,” he declared. The statement also referenced the country’s largest-ever operation against organized crime, carried out in August, which targeted a major gang involved in drug trafficking, fuel adulteration, and money laundering. Similarly, with the approval of the proposed Constitutional Amendment on Security sent to the National Congress, the government anticipates that the various police forces will act jointly against criminal factions. At the same time, the situation in Rio de Janeiro worsened dramatically. A massive police operation in the Alemao and Penha housing complexes left at least 119 dead, according to official sources. Other reports raise the death toll to 132, making it the deadliest raid in Brazilian history. For the operation, approximately 2,500 officers, armored vehicles, helicopters, and drones were deployed in a raid targeting Comando Vermelho, the main criminal faction. jdt/jav/npg/ocs
