Six people killed in police anti-drug operations in Rio de Janeiro

Five alleged drug traffickers and a police were killed Monday in three police raids in Rio de Janeiro, local authorities confirmed on Tuesday.

According to police statements, clashes took places in the favelas (shantytowns) of Jacarezinho, Rocinha and Parque Royal.

In Jacarezinho, at least three people were killed in the early morning as police searched for those responsible for killing two police officers in a previous incident.

Over 300 officers took part in the operation, with the air space over Rio de Janeiro being closed in the early morning.

The three men killed were accused of being members of a gang which led drug trafficking in the region.

In Rocinha, the largest favela in the city, two alleged drug traffickers were killed in an intense firefight. This was the second straight day of clashes in Rocinha.

And in Parque Royal, close to Rio de Janeiro's international airport, a 30-year-old police lieutenant was killed during a separate operation.

Rio de Janeiro, the country's most popular tourism destination and the second-largest city, has suffered a wave of violence since the 2016 Olympic Games as well as a bitter financial crisis.

2017 was the most violent year since 2009 for the state of Rio, with a total of 6,731 homicides, 7.5 percent more than in 2016, according to the Institute of Public Security.

Due to this wave of violence, the federal government has send 10,000 police and soldiers to the state to help settle the situation. They are set to remain in place at least until the end of 2018.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)