Over a third of the Legal Amazon is now under the control of criminal factions connected to drug trafficking—some of them local, others originating from Brazil’s Southeast, such as the Rio de Janeiro-based Red Command (CV) and São Paulo’s First Capital Command (PCC). In the past year, 260 of the 772 cities across the nine states of the region were home to at least one criminal group. This data is from the 3rd edition of the Cartographies of Violence in the Amazon report, conducted by the Brazilian Forum on Public Security in partnership with the Instituto Mãe Crioula, and released on Wednesday (11/12).
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More Than One-Third Affected
More than one-third of the Legal Amazon is already affected by the presence of criminal factions tied to drug trafficking. Last year, 260 out of the 772 cities in the region had at least one criminal group. This marks a 46% increase from the 178 cities mapped in 2022. The report reveals that 176 cities have the presence of only one faction linked to drug trafficking, while another 84 are contested by two or more groups. In total, 19 factions were spread throughout the region in 2023, down from 22 in 2022.
CV’s Dominance
The survey highlights a trend of stabilization in some of the conflicts between factions. Of the 260 cities with factions present, 130 are controlled by the CV, 28 by the PCC, and the remaining by smaller groups. The Rio de Janeiro’s faction has had a strong presence in the Amazonian states since 2017, after losing its drug routes along the Paraguay border, consolidating itself in the Northern region. CV absorbed local factions like the Família do Norte (FDN). Its more decentralized business model, which favors partnerships, allowed it to align with local factions, thereby strengthening its influence in the region.
Land Disputes
The competition for territory and land use is the primary driver of violence in the states of the Legal Amazon, according to the report. Criminal factions play a central role, not only due to the dynamics of drug trafficking but also in connection with the ongoing deforestation, other environmental crimes, and land disputes.
Decline in Violent Deaths
CV’s dominance helps explain the 6.2% reduction in the intentional violent death rate between 2021 and 2023 across the nine states of the Legal Amazon, which is a decrease larger than the national average. The rate dropped from 34.4 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants to 32.3. Intentional violent deaths include homicides, robberies resulting in death, deaths from bodily injury followed by death, and fatalities resulting from police intervention. Another factor contributing to this decline is the implementation of effective public policies in the region, such as coordination between state and federal public security institutions, notably through the Integrated Force to Combat Organized Crime (Ficco), led by the Federal Police.
The Most Violent City
Despite the reduction, the Amazonian rate remained 41.5% higher than the national average in 2023. While Brazil recorded 22.8 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, the Legal Amazon had 32.3. Founded in 1991 around a gold mine, the city of Cumaru do Norte in Pará is the most violent in the Legal Amazon, according to the survey. Its rate of intentional violent deaths between 2021 and 2023 was 141.3 per 100,000 inhabitants, six times the national average.
CV’s Expansion
An intelligence report from the National Secretariat of Penal Policies (Senapen) shows that the Red Command (CV) faction continues to expand 45 years after its founding in Rio de Janeiro. According to the study, the criminal group now operates in 23 states—three more than the previous year. Last year, Amapá, Pernambuco, and Espírito Santo were added to the list of states where the faction operates. The organization does not have a presence in the Federal District, Rio Grande do Sul, Rio Grande do Norte, and São Paulo, where the PCC is active. The São Paulo-based group, according to the report, is the only one with representatives in more states than the CV, operating in 24.
Analysis:
The growing presence of criminal gangs linked to drug trafficking in the Legal Amazon is a concerning trend that has intensified violence in the region, undermining public security and increasing challenges for authorities. More than a third of the cities in the Legal Amazon are now under the control of criminal organizations such as Red Command (CV) and First Capital Command (PCC), reflecting the expansion of drug trafficking and the consolidation of distribution routes in northern Brazil. These gangs not only fight for territorial control but are also deeply involved in illegal practices such as deforestation and land grabbing, which exacerbate the security crisis in the region.
The struggle for territory and land use is the primary driver of violence in the Amazon, as highlighted by the study. The link between criminal organizations and the rise in illegal deforestation indicates that crime in the region extends beyond drug trafficking. Gangs exploit the absence of government presence in remote areas to establish themselves and illegally extract natural resources. The increasing number of land disputes, often involving paramilitary groups or illegal loggers, also fuels the cycle of violence and hinders the implementation of effective public policies.
