Arrest the suspected ring leader of a drug trafficking gang controlling that part of the city result killed some 14 suspected drug gang members
Brazilian police have killed some 14 suspected drug gang traffickers in three separate shootouts in the west part of Rio de Janeiro.
About 150 police raided the Coreia shantytown in western Rio on Thursday to arrest the suspected ring leader of a drug trafficking gang controlling that part of the city, police chief Rodrigo Oliveira said. "We came under fire after circling the communities," he said. "We believe the trafficker escaped."
Police have found the bodies of 10 suspected of the gang and managed to arrest three suspects but the gang leader could escape the scene of clashes, he said.
In another development, police killed a car thief and three suspected drug traffickers in two separate shootouts in Rio suburb on Nova Iguacu on Thursday morning. Slum dwellers complained that armed police officers enter and shoot before asking questions. Rio police gunned down some 1,330 suspects last year, registering 25 percent increase from 2006. Rio de Janeiro is one of the world's most violent cities with serious gun fights between police and drug traffickers.