Brazil police target drug gangs in Rio's biggest slum

Brazilian police have begun an operation to clear Rio de Janeiro's biggest slum, Rocinha, of drug gangs.

Elite police units backed by armoured military vehicles and helicopters moved into the slum before dawn, the Associated Press reports.
Alleged Rocinha drugs kingpin Antonio Francisco Bonfim Lopes was arrested trying to flee the slum on Thursday.
Police are trying to clear Rio's shantytowns of drug gangs ahead of the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics.
Since 2008, they have occupied some 20 slums, or favelas, to drive out the dealers who controlled the areas.
'Historic moment' Police had openly announced their plan to move into Rocinha - which is officially home to some 70,000 people, although is widely thought to have considerably more residents.
Some of the favela's residents left the area on Wednesday, as police began setting up checkpoints at entrances to the slum district, which is located close to tourist areas in Rio's south zone.
They scored an early success on Thursday when they arrested Antonio Francisco Bonfim Lopes - widely known as "Nem" - as he tried to escape Rocinha in the boot of a car.
The driver of the vehicle tried to claim diplomatic immunity, saying he was the honorary consul of the Democratic Republic of Congo, police said.
He then offered a bribe worth $570,000 (£358,000), they added, but officers refused and opened the boot to discover the hidden suspect.
Nem was one of Rio's most wanted suspects and his arrest was described as a "historic moment" by the city's state security secretary Jose Mariano Beltrame.
The police operation to clear the favelas involves special forces, known as BOPE, moving in to take on the traffickers. Police then establish a permanent base in the favela with officers trained in community policing.
City officials also move in to provide services such as health care and electricity.
Pacification has been generally welcomed in favelas, where residents have seen a drop in crime.
But there have been complaints about the behaviour of some of the troops and police involved, with local people reporting excessive violence or abuse of authority.
@'BBC' 
PHOTOGRAPHS