Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva called the police operation against Rio de Janeiro’s Red Command gang, which left 121 dead, “a massacre.”

The raid involved thousands of officers clashing with heavily armed gang members who reportedly used drones dropping explosives.

Police identified 99 of the dead as criminals, including 42 with active arrest warrants, though the operation also claimed some police lives.

The violence exposed Rio’s ongoing security challenges, sparking both criticism from rights activists and support from residents frustrated by crime, CBS News has reported.

Lula has proposed a minimum 30-year prison sentence for gang members amid growing debate over the government’s approach to tackling organized crime.