Brazil police dismantle Comando Vermelho networks in multi‑state raids

The Bahia police, in the second phase of Operation Maré Vermelha, arrested 14 suspects linked to the “Tropa do Surf” faction of the Comando Vermelho. The arrests spanned eight states, with coordinated raids in Salvador, Ipiaú, Jequié and other cities, while some leaders were captured in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Pernambuco, Amazonas, Mato Grosso, Sergipe and Minas Gerais. Authorities say the group ran drug and weapons trafficking from “home‑office” locations outside Bahia.

In Volta Redonda, Rio de Janeiro, police seized seven alleged members of another Comando Vermelho cell after analysing cloud‑stored data and a WhatsApp group used to coordinate drug sales and monitor police movements. The suspects were detained in the neighborhoods of Açude, Padre Josimo, Siderlândia and others, and remain in custody pending further investigation.