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Military Gives Ultimatum to Rio Drug Traffickers, Dozens Dead

By Jeralyn, Section Foreign Affairs
Posted on Sat Nov 27, 2010 at 02:59:16 PM EST
Tags: Rio de Janeiro, favelas (all tags)
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It's an urban war in the favelas (slums)of Rio De Janeiro. The military have joined police and given an ultimatum to the drug gangs to surrender or face a big-time assault.

Defence Minister Nelson Jobim authorised the deployment of 10 military armoured vehicles, two Air Force helicopters and 800 soldiers, to be added to the 17,500 police already engaged in the crackdown. About 300 federal police were also dispatched to bolster local forces.

[More...]

This is taking place in the favela called Complexo de Alemao. It is home to 400,000 people, including one of Rio's three major drug gang called Comando Vermelho (CV), whose leader, Marcinho V, is in a maximum security prison but believed to be sending out orders through his wife and two lawyers. Police arrested his wife and lawyers yesterday.

Developing....The BBC and Al Jazeera seem to have the latest updates.

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