Brazil's Federal Police arrested 33 people in an operation to fight illegal gambling in the country on Wednesday.

The so-called "Operation Hurricane 2" is a follow-up to the first "Operation Hurricane" carried out on April 13, during which 25 people were arrested, including court judges, policemen and civil servants.

Wednesday's detainees included 20 state policemen, two federal agents and an employee of Rio de Janeiro's City Council.

According to the police, each cop received about 5,000 reais (some 2,600 U.S. dollars) per month to provide protection for slot machines operated by a gambling gang, as well as information on police operations.

The operation also caught gang members responsible for bribing the officers.

Two hundred agents participated in the operation, which took place a few days earlier than planned, due to internal rumors of an information leakage.

Source: Xinhua