RIO DE JANEIRO, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) -- At least seven suspects were dead and two others were under arrest following a police operation Wednesday in the northeastern Brazilian state of Sergipe, local authorities said.
The operation against a criminal ring involved in murder, drug trafficking and other crimes took place in the municipalities of Cristianopolis and Tomar do Geru, in the south of the state, as some 100 police officers moved to carry out 23 search and arrest warrants, the Sergipe Secretariat of Public Security said in a statement.
One of the warrants was for the alleged leader of the gang, who was in prison for the death of a police officer in Cristianopolis in 2015.
According to the agency, authorities began to investigate the suspects this year after an anonymous tip identified a detainee as the leader of a gang which was disputing drug trafficking territory with other rival groups in Sergipe, leading to armed clashes. ■
