Rio de Janeiro police launch statewide crackdown on organized crime

On Thursday, the Rio de Janeiro Military Police carried out coordinated operations across the state, from the city centre to the Baixada Fluminense and coastal municipalities. Units of the Area Policing Commands and specialised squads focused on dismantling drug‑trafficking networks, vehicle‑theft rings and removing criminal barricades.

The actions led to the arrest of Diego Silva de Jesus, known as “Problemático”, identified as a drug‑trade leader in the Mangueirinha community of Duque de Caxias, along with three other suspects and the seizure of a rifle. In the Cidade de Deus favela, police units from the 18th Battalion dismantled a centre used to perpetrate bank fraud, confiscating 15 notebooks, four desktop computers, five notebooks, several cell phones and related documentation. The operation is part of an ongoing security campaign to weaken organised‑crime financing and improve public safety in Rio de Janeiro.