One of the most gruesome operations in Latin America took place when a brutal police raid in Brazil left more than 120 people dead, amid shocking claims that officers decapitated a 19-year-old alleged gang member and displayed his head “like a trophy” during what authorities are calling the country’s deadliest-ever anti-gang operation. The crackdown began on Tuesday in two of Rio de Janeiro’s largest impoverished neighbourhoods, targeting members of the notorious Red Command drug gang. Police said the raids followed a yearlong investigation into the group, which has grown into one of Brazil’s most powerful criminal networks. According to local reports, the teen’s mother said her son’s head was “hung from a tree like a trophy” after police stormed the Penha district. Lawyer Albino Pere

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