RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – JULY 21, 2026 During a police operation in the northern part of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, three suspected members of the criminal organization Comando Vermelho (CV) were killed. Another man was arrested at the scene. The incident took place on Estrada do Quitungo street in the Penha Circular area during an operation by the GAT (Grupo de Ações Táticas) unit of the 16th Military Police Battalion.
According to police, officers attempted to stop a vehicle carrying armed men. The occupants allegedly tried to escape, and during the pursuit the vehicle crashed into a pole. A shootout then broke out between police and the people inside the vehicle, during which three suspects suffered fatal injuries.
Among the dead was Caio César da Silva Sant’anna, known by the nickname “Caio do Quitungo”. Police identified him as one of the local leaders of Comando Vermelho in the Quitungo and Guaporé communities and as a close associate of Edgar Alves de Andrade, known as “Doca”, who is considered one of the faction’s prominent figures in the Complexo da Penha area. According to Brazilian authorities, Caio César da Silva Sant’anna had been wanted since 2022.
After the confrontation, police seized two rifles, a 9 mm pistol, a grenade, a bulletproof vest, and two radios. The case was taken over by the Homicide Investigation Division (Delegacia de Homicídios da Capital), which will investigate the circumstances of the confrontation.
Comando Vermelho is one of Brazil’s largest criminal organizations and has long fought for territorial control in Rio de Janeiro with rival factions, particularly over the drug trade. Areas such as Quitungo, Guaporé, and Complexo da Penha have been affected for years by armed clashes between gangs and security forces.
