Crime Factions Now Present in Nearly Half of Brazil’s Legal Amazon, FBSP Finds

Overview

• FBSP’s new mapping shows criminal groups in 344 of 772 municipalities (44.6%) across the Legal Amazon, a 32.3% jump from 2024.
• The Comando Vermelho appears in 286 municipalities, dominating 202 and contesting 84, a 123% increase in presence since 2023.
• Penetration varies widely by state, from Acre with 100% of municipalities affected to Tocantins with 12%, with Roraima at 80%, Mato Grosso at 65% and Pará at 63%.
• Researchers cite control of fluvial routes such as the Alto Solimões and involvement in illegal mining and timber as key enablers of expansion.
• The study identifies 17 factions, including the PCC and cross-border groups like Venezuela’s Tren de Araguá and Colombia’s ex-Farc, and urges more coordinated, frontier-focused policing.