SAO PAULO, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from an anti-crime sweep in the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo has risen to 13, local authorities said on Tuesday.
The Sao Paulo Public Security Secretariat said in a statement that 12 people were killed in clashes with police at a favela in the town of Guaruja, and another at a favela in neighboring Santos.
Police launched Operation Escudo (Shield) on Saturday, after a member of the Military Police in Sao Paulo, Brazil's richest and most populous state, was killed on Thursday.
According to the secretariat, 32 people have been arrested so far, and 11 weapons and over 20 kg of drugs have been seized.
More than 600 police officers have been participating in the operation centered in Guaruja, one of Brazil's top tourism destinations.
