( CNN ) -- Brazilian authorities arrested dozens of police officers on Tuesday , accusing them of taking bribes from drug traffickers . The 61 officers were paid to turn a blind eye to criminal activity in Brazil 's Rio de Janeiro state , state public safety officials said . Investigators were still searching for two other officers suspected of involvement . An investigation revealed that the officers had received payments of 2,500 reals ( about $ 1,200 ) every time they patrolled certain communities , the state-run Agencia Brasil said , citing authorities . Tuesday 's arrests , dubbed `` Operation Purification , '' come as authorities work to increase security in Rio de Janeiro and stamp out drug gangs before the 2014 World Cup and the Olympic Games two years later . In October , police said they seized automatic weapons , guns and grenades and arrested dozens of people in a series of Rio de Janeiro slum raids . They announced they were going into the communities days in advance . Police said they take that approach to avoid major violence , but critics have said it simply gives criminals a chance to escape . In Tuesday 's operation , authorities said they also arrested 11 drug-trafficking suspects . Brazil gang 's slaughter of police sparks fightback . CNN 's Paulo Nogueira and Gabriela Matute Urdaneta contributed to this report .
NEW : 61 officers are arrested , accused of receiving bribes to turn a blind eye to crime . NEW : Investigators are still searching for two other officers suspected of involvement . Authorities also arrest 11 suspected drug traffickers , state media reports . Comment: