Brazilian Police Swoop to Pacify Rio's Largest Slum
- 13 years ago
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Thousands of Brazilian security forces, backed by helicopters and armored vehicles, enter Rio de Janeiro's Rocinha slum. The move is an effort to boost security ahead of the upcoming World Cup and Olympic Games.
Thousands of Brazilian police, backed by helicopters and armored vehicles, entered Rio de Janeiro's sprawling Rocinha slum in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Authorities said that at least 3,000 police, 24 armored vehicles and seven helicopters participated in the operation.
The aim is to pacify the slum ahead of the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics.
The operation was headed by the elite Police Special Operations Unit (BOPE), who searched the area for drugs, guns, and wanted gang members.
No shots were reported in the operation.
The sprawling hillside community, home to more than 100,000 people and close to some of Rio's most exclusive areas and best beaches, is believed to be the main drug distribution point in Brazil's second-largest city.
It is the latest and most ambitious target for a "pacification" program that has already ousted drug gangs from 18 slums.
The program accompanies Rio's revival as a center of Brazil's oil wealth and host of huge upcoming sporting events.
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Thousands of Brazilian security forces, backed by helicopters and armored vehicles, enter Rio de Janeiro's Rocinha slum. The move is an effort to boost security ahead of the upcoming World Cup and Olympic Games.
Thousands of Brazilian police, backed by helicopters and armored vehicles, entered Rio de Janeiro's sprawling Rocinha slum in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Authorities said that at least 3,000 police, 24 armored vehicles and seven helicopters participated in the operation.
The aim is to pacify the slum ahead of the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics.
The operation was headed by the elite Police Special Operations Unit (BOPE), who searched the area for drugs, guns, and wanted gang members.
No shots were reported in the operation.
The sprawling hillside community, home to more than 100,000 people and close to some of Rio's most exclusive areas and best beaches, is believed to be the main drug distribution point in Brazil's second-largest city.
It is the latest and most ambitious target for a "pacification" program that has already ousted drug gangs from 18 slums.
The program accompanies Rio's revival as a center of Brazil's oil wealth and host of huge upcoming sporting events.