PERSECUTION

The BOPE (Special Police Operations Battalion) is the elite force of the Military Police of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It specializes in urban warfare and combating drug trafficking in the most dangerous and inaccessible areas of the country, such as the favelas.

Main mission: To intervene in areas dominated by heavily armed criminal factions, where conventional police cannot

Operation. Training: Their selection and training process is extremely rigorous, designed to withstand extreme situations, hand-to-hand combat

Survival. Equipment: They use heavily protected armored vehicles (popularly known as "Peacekeepers" or "Skulls") and high-caliber weaponry of Brazilian, American, Belgian, and German origin.

Motto: "Faca na caveira" (Knife in the skull), which symbolizes its extreme lethality and the sacrifice required to belong to this group.

Comando Vermelho (CV): It is the largest, oldest, and most powerful criminal faction in Rio de Janeiro. It controls a large part of the city's favelas, operating similarly to a parallel government, and exerts control over drug trafficking and other local businesses.

Terceiro Comando Puro (TCP): This is the second most powerful gang in the city, formed from a split within Comando Vermelho. It is primarily involved in drug trafficking, arms trafficking, and money laundering.

Amigos dos Amigos (ADA): Another important faction of drug traffickers, although with less territory currently controlled after losing areas to Comando Vermelho.

The Militias: Paramilitary groups made up of police officers, former police officers, and firefighters who violently control the territory under the pretext of providing security, extorting residents, and controlling basic services such as gas, internet, and transportation.

Narco-Pentecostal Groups: Criminal cells and local gangs within the favelas that merge organized crime with religious fundamentalism, marking their drugs and territories with religious symbols.

Rio de Janeiro is officially divided into more than 160 neighborhoods organized by zones. The most iconic and visited are mainly grouped in the South Zone, the Central Zone, and the West Zone.

DANGEROUS NEIGHBORHOODS > Copacabana: Ipanema Leblon Botafogo Jardim Botânico Urca

SOMEWHAT DANGEROUS NEIGHBORHOODS Downtown: The financial heart and historic district of the city. Lapa: The epicenter of nightlife, famous for its samba bars and the colorful Selarón Steps. Santa Teresa Tijuca Barra da Tijuca