247 - The Minister-Chief of the Secretariat of Institutional Relations (SRI), Gleisi Hoffmann, defended President Lula this Thursday (30) after the Governor of Rio de Janeiro, Cláudio Castro, accused the federal government of not denying three requests for federal aid to combat crime in the state.

“There’s only one way to fight these organizations: it’s money. When you financially strangle them, you leave these organizations without resources. Then their territorial organization collapses. If there’s no (police) intelligence, these people will go back to committing crimes,” the head of the SRI stated in an interview with Globo News.

"Killing isn't enough. Criminals who have died will be replaced by criminal organizations. The federal government is acting; there has been no request for GLO (Guarantee of Law and Order operation), nor any assistance from the state government."

The minister gave her statement after a massive police operation involving approximately 2,500 officers killed at least 121 people in the Penha and Alemão favela complexes in the northern part of Rio de Janeiro. It was the deadliest operation in the state's history.

In an interview with GloboNews, Gleisi Hoffmann deconstructed the thesis of the governor of Rio de Janeiro, Cláudio Castro, regarding the coordination of the operation that has already become the deadliest in Brazilian history.

— PT Brasil (@ptbrasil) October 30, 2025

The proposed constitutional amendment and its progress through Congress.

The Proposed Amendment to the Constitution (18/2025) proposes the inclusion of the Unified Public Security System (SUSP) in the Constitution. The idea is that the SUSP operates permanently and is administered by an inter-federative council, with the participation of civil society.

The proposed amendment also provides for the constitutionalization of the National Public Security Fund (FNSP) and the National Penitentiary Fund (Funpen).

The proposal replaces the Federal Highway Police with the Federal Road Police, which will have a multimodal character. It also expands the role of municipal guards, who will be able to carry out visible and community policing.

The proposed constitutional amendment was presented to the Chamber of Deputies in April. Its objective is to integrate security systems across different levels of the federation.

The proposal is not ready to be voted on in the Chamber's plenary session, but it was approved by the House's Constitution and Justice Committee (CCJ).

Domain regions

A study published last year by the Group for the Study of New Illegalities at the Federal Fluminense University (Geni/UFF), in collaboration with the Fogo Cruzado Institute, indicated that Comando Vermelho was the only criminal faction to expand its area of operation between 2022 and 2023 in the Metropolitan Region of Rio de Janeiro.

According to the survey, the increase was 8.4%, leading the group to surpass the militias and gain control of 51.9% of the areas dominated by criminal organizations in the region. The faction retook 242 square kilometers that had been lost to the militias in 2021. At that time, paramilitary groups controlled 46.5% of the areas under the influence of crime, while Comando Vermelho held 42.9%.

According to the report"Tracking Products and Combating Organized Crime in Brazil," in 2022 alone, the Comando Vermelho and Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) criminal organizations moved approximately R$ 146.8 billion through the sale of fuel, gold, cigarettes, and beverages.

During the same period, cocaine trafficking generated approximately R$ 15 billion in illicit revenue. This information was published by the newspaper O Estado de S.Paulo. Like the CV, the PCC maintains a consolidated presence in more than 20 states, highlighting the national reach of these factions.

Trajectory of Comando Vermelho

Comando Vermelho emerged in Rio de Janeiro in the 1970s and is considered, alongside the PCC, one of the largest criminal organizations in the country. Originally called"Falange Vermelha," the group was founded by William da Silva Lima, known as"Professor," with the aim of reacting to torture and mistreatment in prisons. Currently, CV operates in more than 20 Brazilian states.

Between 1981 and 1986, Comando Vermelho expanded its drug trafficking network in Rio de Janeiro's favelas. This expansion was driven, in part, by the state government's decision in 1983 to suspend police operations in the favelas. By 1985, the faction controlled approximately 70% of Rio de Janeiro's drug sales points, consolidating its hegemony in local drug trafficking.

In 1994, an internal rupture altered the balance of crime in the state. Ernaldo Pinto de Medeiros, known as"Uê," murdered Orlando Jogador, then leader of the CV (Comando Vermelho) in the Complexo do Alemão, after disagreements over the management of drug trafficking activities. This episode led to the creation of the Amigos dos Amigos (ADA) faction in Morro do Adeus, initiating a conflict that lasted until September 2002.

With the implementation of the Pacifying Police Units (UPPs) in the favelas, the dispute between CV and ADA lost intensity. The decline in drug trafficking ended up bringing the two organizations closer together, and they began to operate in alliance. Currently, Complexo do Alemão and Vila Cruzeiro are considered the main command centers of Comando Vermelho.

What is GLO?

The Guarantee of Law and Order (GLO) must be authorized exclusively by the President of the Republic, either on his own initiative or in response to a request from any of the constitutional powers, represented by the presidents of the Supreme Federal Court (STF), the Federal Senate, or the Chamber of Deputies. The head of the Executive branch may also decree the measure upon request from a state governor or the governor of the Federal District.

The legal basis for GLO (Guarantee of Law and Order) is provided for in Article 142 of the Federal Constitution and regulated by Complementary Law No. 97/1999 and Decree No. 3,897/2001. In practice, the measure temporarily grants the Armed Forces powers similar to those of the police, allowing them to act to restore public order, protect the population, and guarantee the security of property.