Brazil: 8 Dead In Police Anti-Drug Operation

At least eight people died and three were arrested Sunday in a militarized police operation in the tourist city of Angra dos Reis in southeastern Brazil, Xinhua reported.

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The events occurred after police received an anonymous tip about the presence of some perpetrators accused of injuring two officers last Sunday in the same location.

Upon arriving in the neighborhood, agents were shot by the gang that dominates drug trafficking in the region. The returning fire initially caused the death of five alleged criminals. Later, three other alleged perpetrators also died in the gunfight with the agents.

According to the police, among the victims is the head of a local drug trafficking ring. In the operation, three people were arrested and three rifles, seven guns, various types of drugs, scales for weighing them and a log of drug trafficking were seized.

Angra dos Reis suffers a wave of violence over the dispute between rival drug trafficking factions. Due to it, the mayor decreed in August a state of emergency.

The city itself is famous for its beaches and for being the hometown of Brazil's two nuclear power plants.