Rio de Janeiro stages biggest operation to arrest corrupt policemen
Rio de Janeiro State Police and Brazilian Federal Police arrested on Friday 74 policemen allegedly involved in drug trafficking in the slums of Rio.

According to State Police Commander Hudson Aguiar, it was the biggest operation to arrest police officers in the history of the corporation.

The policy will keep on expelling from the corporation those who do not honor it, said Aguiar.

The Commander joined the operation, and participated in person in the activities at a Police headquarters in Bangu, in Rio's western zone. Forty officers from Bangu were allegedly involved in drug trafficking schemes.

Aguiar added that the Federal Police was in charge of investigations, and the State Police Disciplinary Office identified the suspects and ordered their arrests. Joining the operation were 200 federal agents and 340 police officers, who gathered in the beginning of Friday morning to launch activities.

The agents inspected the lockers and vehicles used by the charged officers. By the beginning of the afternoon, there were only two officers left to be arrested.

A team of federal agents who took part in the arrests headed for a favela in the Northern area of the city with the aid of a tank. They blocked all entrances to the place, preventing vehicles and dwellers from passing.