This is a list of criminal gangs in Brazil, of Brazilian or foreign origin.

List

'' Amigos dos Amigos'' (Friends of Friends) – operates in Rio de Janeiro. It began in 1998 when a member of was expelled from the organization for ordering the murder of another member. The gang's main rivals are Red Command and . ADA controls many drug selling points in the North and West zones. ''

Comando Vermelho Comando Vermelho (, ''Red Command'' or ''Red Commando''), also known as CV, is a Brazilian criminal organization engaged primarily in drug trafficking, arms trafficking, protection racketeering, kidnapping-for-ransom, hijacking of armored tru ...

'' (Red Command) – engaged primarily in

drug trafficking A drug is any chemical substance other than a nutrient or an essential dietary ingredient, which, when administered to a living organism, produces a biological effect. Consumption of drugs can be via inhalation, injection, smoking, ingestion, ...

arms trafficking Arms trafficking or gunrunning is the illicit trade of contraband small arms, explosives, and ammunition, which constitutes part of a broad range of illegal activities often associated with transnational criminal organizations. The illegal tra ...

protection racket A protection racket is a type of racket and a scheme of organized crime perpetrated by a potentially hazardous organized crime group that generally guarantees protection outside the sanction of the law to another entity or individual from vio ...

kidnapping Kidnapping or abduction is the unlawful abduction and confinement of a person against their will, and is a crime in many jurisdictions. Kidnapping may be accomplished by use of force or fear, or a victim may be enticed into confinement by frau ...

-for-ransom,

carjacking Carjacking is a robbery in which a motor vehicle is taken over.Michael Cherbonneau, "Carjacking," in ''Encyclopedia of Social Problems'', Vol. 1 (SAGE, 2008: ed. Vincent N. Parrillo), pp. 110-11. In contrast to car theft, carjacking is usually i ...

of armored trucks,

loansharking A loan shark is a person who offers loans at extremely high or illegal interest rates, has strict terms of collection, and generally operates outside the law, often using the threat of violence or other illegal, aggressive, and extortionate ...

irregular warfare Irregular warfare (IW) is defined in United States joint doctrine as "a violent struggle among state and non-state actors for legitimacy and influence over the relevant populations" and in U.S. law as "Department of Defense activities not involvin ...

narcoterrorism Narcoterrorism, in its original context, is understood to refer to the attempts of narcotics traffickers to influence the policies of a government or a society through violence and intimidation, and to hinder the enforcement of anti-drug laws b ...

, and turf wars against rival criminal organizations, such as and '. (RN; SDC; 18.14) – the largest criminal organization operating within the prisons and drug trafficking strongholds of

Rio Grande do Norte Rio Grande do Norte (, , ) is one of the states of Brazil. It is located in the northeastern region of the country, forming the northeasternmost tip of the South American continent. The name literally translates as "Great Northern River", refe ...

state. Like other organizations in the

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

and Northeast Region of the country, it was created in reaction to the control exercised by the (PCC) over drug trafficking activities. (Crime Office) – a criminal militia of gunmen and elite killers that operates in the which grew out of land grabs and illegal real estate operations in construction, sale, and illegal rentals. Their chief activity is murder for hire. The group is composed of military police and former police. '' Família do Norte'' (Northern Family) – a criminal faction that occupies northern Brazil and some regions in Colombia, Peru and Venezuela. '' First Capital Command'' () – Latin America's largest drug gang, and one of the world's largest with 40,000 members and 60,000 "contractors", with links to other South American and European countries, including ties to ' in Italy, and expanding into West Africa. ''

Guardiões do Estado The Guardians of the State (Brazilian Portuguese: ), or the acronym GDE, is a Brazilian criminal faction. It operates in the state of Ceará. It is the 4th largest faction in Brazil and is made up mostly of poorly prepared teenagers, pre-teen ...

'' (Guardians of the State; GDE) – a Brazilian criminal gang operating in the state of

Ceará Ceará (, ) is one of the 26 states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, northeastern part of the country, on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. It is the List of Brazilian states by population, eighth-largest Brazilian State by ...

. It is the 4th largest gang in Brazil and is made up mostly of teenagers and young adults. 'Ndrangheta – an Italian crime gang dating to the 19th century, operating in Brazil since the 1970s, and allied with since the 2010s for supplying cocaine to the European market. '' Terceiro Comando'' (Third Command) – founded in the early 1980s as a break-away faction of the , dominated drug trafficking in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

, and engaged in bank robbery and drug-trafficking. ''

Terceiro Comando Puro Terceiro Comando Puro (Pure Third Command) is a Brazilian criminal organization in Rio de Janeiro that split off from the Terceiro Comando (TC) in 2002 due to disputes about TC's affiliations with the ''Amigos dos Amigos'' gang. TC weakened while ...

'' (Pure Third Command) – a Rio de Janeiro group that split off from ' in 2002 due to disputes about TC's affiliations with the ' gang. TC weakened while TCP strengthened and eventually absorbed its parent group's members. Primarily involved with drug trafficking. Triad – a Chinese mafia group operating worldwide, including in Brazil. In São Paulo, they run protection money rackets, with shopkeepers in central Sao Paulo threatened with kidnapping and assassination if they fail to comply. They also have a presence in Recife and Pernambuco.

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* * * * * * * * * * * * * {{Organized crime groups in the Americas Organized crime groups in Brazil Corruption in Brazil

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See also

References

Works cited