Aerial footage shows that streets and alleyways in the Complexo do Alemão, in Rio de Janeiro’s North Zone, are being covered by structures designed to hinder drone surveillance. The assessment comes from the intelligence unit of the Civil Police’s Special Resources Coordination (Core). Investigators compared satellite images from November 2025 with aerial footage captured in February 2026. In some locations, streets that were previously clearly visible from above are now partially or completely concealed by roofing structures.
This Content Is Only For Subscribers
To unlock this content, subscribe to INTERLIRA Reports.
Rapid Change
The landscape changed in just 84 days. In one of the locations analyzed, an area previously used as a parking lot was covered with a masonry roof. Elsewhere, a concrete slab was built and fitted with a swimming pool. These structures are located in a central section of the Complexo do Alemão, an area described by police as difficult to access both by land and from the air. Investigators believe members of the Comando Vermelho (Red Command) leadership may also be hiding in this area. Police suspect the roofs were built partly to protect against explosive attacks carried out by drones operated by rival factions. At the same time, the structures make aerial surveillance and monitoring by security forces more difficult.
Senador Camará
In the Rebu neighborhood of Senador Camará, in the West Zone, a street running alongside the railway line has also been almost entirely covered by similar structures. In April, the Civil Police, together with Niterói City Hall, demolished part of a comparable structure that had been erected inside a community in that municipality.
Drones Turned into Weapons
Organized crime groups have increasingly used drones to monitor territories, track police movements, and carry out attacks against rival factions. According to the Civil Police, 18 incidents involving bombs dropped from drones are currently under investigation, although authorities believe the actual number may be higher. Records from Disque-Denúncia, the anonymous tip line, also show a sharp increase in reports involving drones carrying explosives. The first report of a drone equipped with a grenade was registered in 2023, followed by four reports in 2024. In 2025, there were 73 reports involving drug traffickers and another 14 related to militia members.
Criminals Use Anti-Drone Equipment
To avoid aerial monitoring, criminals have also begun using equipment capable of detecting, disrupting, and jamming drones. Police footage shows a man identifying the presence of a drone and firing what investigators described as an “anti-drone bazooka.” The device interferes with the aircraft’s communication and navigation systems, causing the operator to lose control. The drone avoided crashing only because its safety system was activated, automatically directing the aircraft back to its launch point. Police identified the man operating the equipment as Hyrval Cassiano da Silva, known as “Bochecha Rosa.”
Unmanned Aircraft Operations Coordination Unit
About a month ago, the Civil Police created the Unmanned Aircraft Operations Coordination Unit, a specialized department responsible for investigating the criminal use of drones across the state. In addition to their use in attacks and surveillance operations, authorities have also identified drones being employed to transport drugs and other illicit materials into prison facilities.
Analysis:
The adaptation of the urban environment in Complexo do Alemão demonstrates how criminal organizations are responding directly to advances in police surveillance technology. The rapid construction of roofs and other overhead structures suggests that territorial control is increasingly influenced by the ability to operate without being detected from the air. These structures may serve a dual purpose: protecting criminal personnel and infrastructure from drone-based attacks by rival factions while simultaneously limiting the Civil Police’s ability to conduct intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. This represents a significant evolution in the security challenges associated with densely populated communities, where criminal groups can modify the physical environment to reduce the effectiveness of state surveillance.
The increasing use of drones by criminal organizations also indicates a broader technological transformation in Rio de Janeiro’s factional conflicts. Drones can provide relatively inexpensive intelligence on police movements, monitor rival territories, transport illicit materials, and, increasingly, deliver explosive devices. The emergence of anti-drone equipment adds another layer to this confrontation, effectively creating a technological competition between criminal groups and security forces.
