RIO DE JANEIRO, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- At least seven people died and five were injured Tuesday in a large-scale police dragnet to capture criminal ring leaders at the favelas in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro, according to the Military Police.

       Authorities made five arrests and seized a substantial amount of drugs in the operation launched in the early hours of the day in the favelas, or shanty towns, of Alemao, Mare and Penha, in northern Rio.

       Officials also targeted other nearby favelas controlled by the so-called Red Command, one of the largest criminal organizations in Brazil with strongholds in Rio de Janeiro.

       Suspected members of the drug trafficking rings threw up barricades and burned tires when the police arrived, while officers closed access points to the favelas to prevent them from escaping.

       Four of the suspects died aboard a stolen vehicle ambushed by the police, and the other three were killed in a shootout with officers.

       Two police officers were among the five who were injured and taken to nearby hospitals.

       Due to the police operation, more than 20,000 local students did not go to school, with the clashes disrupting public transit in the area.

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