As many as 43 people have been killed during several raids against drug gangs initiated by the police in three Brazilian states. Police said they returned fire in Rio de Janeiro's Complexo da Penha area on Wednesday, killing at least ten people and injuring four others.
The operation began in Sao Paulo after a special forces police officer was killed last week in Guarujá coastal city, leading to the arrest of 58 people, BBC reported. At least 14 people died during a five-day police raid in São Paulo, as part of Operation Shield. Additionally, 19 suspects have been killed in the northeastern state of Bahia since Friday last week.
Meanwhile, Sao Paulo state governor Tarcisio de Freitas said that two police officers were among the 14 people killed during clashes. According to local media, 385 kg of narcotics have been seized by the police.
The raids in Guarujá were criticised by Brazil's Justice Minister Flavio Dino, who hinted that the police reaction was overwhelmingly more violent than the crime committed.
The operation in Rio de Janeiro's Complexo da Penha was initiated after intelligence reports suggested a meeting of drug trafficking leaders in the area. In the clashes, a drug trafficking kingpin and a trafficker were among the 10 people killed.
In Bahia, clashes between police and gang members occurred in three cities - Salvador, Itatim and Camaçari - since Friday. Eight people were killed in Italim, seven in Camaçari and four in Salvador. Guns, phones and drugs were seized during the three operations.
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