The gangs of Rio

"Vesguinho" (centre) and his gang control the drug trafficking in Parque Royal a slum in Ilha do Governador, Rio de Janeiro. The gang is part of Terceiro Comando, a major gang faction in Rio de Janeiro Photograph: guardian.co.uk

The Dende slum where an estimate of 45,000 people live in poverty with little state support in northern Rio de Janeiro Photograph: guardian.co.uk

A woman looks at the wall outside her house ridden with bullet holes during a Police operation. About 400 police officers invaded the Favela da Grota in Complexo do Alemao. In the operation, police confiscated assault riffles, machine guns, grenades, cocaine, cannabis and crack Photograph: guardian.co.uk

A BOPE unit, the elite special forces of the Military Police stands guard during the operation in Favela da Grota. BOPE is a small group of very well trained policemen infamous for their brutality. BOPE members are renowned for not carrying handcuffs Photograph: guardian.co.uk

A military police armored car, takes position inside the Favela da Grota in complexo do Alemao, during a Police operation involving around 400 policemen Photograph: guardian.co.uk

A BOPE officer takes a defensive position to cover his unit as they pull out of the Grota Slum Photograph: guardian.co.uk

Weapons confiscated during the operation Photograph: guardian.co.uk

An armed drug trafficker plays table football in the Dende slum in northern Rio de Janeiro Photograph: guardian.co.uk

An evangelical preaching session to clean a young woman of her sins in the Dende slum in northern Rio de Janeiro Photograph: guardian.co.uk

Pastor Sidney, a 35-year-old former paratrooper, tries to purge a drug trafficker of his demons Photograph: guardian.co.uk

Civilian police operation in the Mangueira slum to seize drugs and try to arrest the main traffickers. 1.5 tons of Marijuana were seized along with minor quantities of crack and cocaine. Photograph: guardian.co.uk

A civilian police photographs takes mugshots of João Pina Paulo da Costa a suspected drug trafficker arrested during a police operation in the Acari slum Photograph: Joao Pina/guardian.co.uk

A woman and her 6-year-old son are freed by police after being held hostage in their own home by suspected drug trafickers in Acari, Rio de Janeiro Photograph: guardian.co.uk

Mourners at the funeral of a murdered policeman Photograph: guardian.co.uk

Edson Vaz do Nascimento's widow stands over his coffin at his funeral. Edson was a 36 year old suspected drug runner killed by the military police with a single shot to the head Photograph: guardian.co.uk

Edson Vaz do Nascimento's coffin is taken to his grave Photograph: Joao Pina/guardian.co.uk

An overview of the São João Baptista cemetery in Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro. Ninety per cent of murder cases in Rio go unresolved Photograph: guardian.co.uk

The body of a man believed to have been killed by the "Comando Vermelho" gang found with several automatic weapon bullet wounds in Santa Cruz on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. Photograph: guardian.co.uk

Tourists photograph Rio de Janeiro from Sugarloaf mountain, one of the city's most popular tourist spots, famed for its views over the city. Tourists and middle-class locals are the biggest drug consumers (mostly marijuana and cocaine) in the city Photograph: Joao Pina/guardian.co.uk