Nearly 100 Rio police targeted in corruption crackdown

RIO DE JANEIRO: Nearly 100 police officers were targeted Thursday in Rio de Janeiro in a huge sweep against allegedly dirty cops working to help drug traffickers.

A probe that began in February 2016, "resulted today in an operation to serve 185 arrest warrants, including 95 against military police," the Rio state security office said in a statement.



In Brazil, regular patrol officers are known as military police.

The sweep was carried out with "the unconditional" support of the military police internal affairs department and a special organized crime unit, the statement read.



Brazilian media reported that scores of drug traffickers were the other targets of the operation.

According to G1 news site, the police officers are accused of taking as much as one million reais ($300,000) a month in bribes from drug gangs in return for protection and even loan of police weaponry.

Security officials were to give a press conference later in Rio de Janeiro.