New details which have emerged in the aftermath of Brazil's deadliest police operation are casting doubts over whether the raid really struck at the heart of one of the country's most powerful criminal gangs, as was its stated aim.
One hundred and twenty one people, among them four police officers, were killed in the raid on 28 October in Rio de Janeiro.
The governor of Rio de Janeiro state, Claudio Castro, described the police operation as a success, posting a photo showing the more than 100 rifles seized by police.
But rights groups have sharply criticized the security forces pointing to the high death toll and what they have described as the brutality of their actions.
The operation was the largest ever carried out by Rio's security forces and saw 2,500 officers deployed to the Alemão and Penha neighborhoods.
It targeted the Comando Vermelho (Red Command) criminal gang, which rules over the nine-million-square-metre area.
Rio's public safety secretary, Victor dos Santos, told Reuters that the goal of the operation had been to carry out scores of arrest warrants issued by prosecutors.
However, local media noted that although scores of suspects were arrested during the raid, the recognized gang leader, Edgar Alves de Andrade, also known as Doca, was not among them.
Residents of the Alemão and Penha have described their daily lives remaining unaffected by the massive operation, reporting that armed men were still present in their communities the very next day.
Comando Vermelho and similar groups impose strict entities on their territories, extending beyond drug trafficking to monopolizing services such as gas and transportation, often exploiting local residents.
As the Brazilian government debates the repercussions of this operation, with an emphasis on further crackdowns, many are left questioning whether such actions lead to genuine improvements in public safety or further entrench the cycles of violence.
