Protests erupted in Rio de Janeiro after a massive police raid on drug traffickers left more than 120 people dead, with many of their uncovered bodies displayed on the street.
Gun battles erupted as part of the operation — ordered by the state’s tough-on-crime governor — which targeted one of the country’s biggest drug trafficking organizations, though bystanders are feared to have been caught in the crossfire. “This was a massacre,” a favela resident told the Associated Press.
Though South America has long been one of the world’s biggest drug-producing hubs, it is now also one of its biggest markets: Home to less than 6% of the world’s population, the region accounts for 22% of global cocaine consumption.