Brazil’s New ‘Terrorist’ Groups – the PCC and the Red Command – Explained
Over 21,000 professionals trust InSight Crime for expert analysis on organized crime in Latin America Join our network of thought…
Is Brazil’s Biggest Port Winning the Fight Against Drug Traffickers?
The police boat is dwarfed by the massive cargo ships it passes floating in the channel of Brazil’s Santos port.…
As Brazil’s PCC Gentrifies, Favela Residents Must Fend for Themselves
When the First Capital Command (Primeiro Comando da Capital – PCC) took over the brightly-colored hillside favelas in São Paulo,…
Organized Crime and AI: 5 Topics We Are Monitoring in 2026
As advances in artificial intelligence (AI) bring it to nearly all corners of life, both criminal organizations and law enforcement…
GameChangers 2025: Cryptocurrency Is Now in the Criminal Mainstream
A decade ago, Latin America’s criminal groups were starting to experiment with cryptocurrency, but in 2025, they went all in.…
GameChangers 2025: The Unstoppable Rise of Environmental Crime
In 2025, environmental crimes spread into corners of the Amazon Basin that had so far largely escaped the rampant plunder…
How Organized Crime Threatens the Amazon’s Uncontacted Tribes
Organized crime has become an existential threat to the uncontacted Indigenous peoples of the Amazon as illegal gold miners, drug…
On the Radar: Latin America Blurs the Line Between Crime and Terrorism
This week, we look at the recent designation of two Brazilian powerhouse gangs as terrorist organizations in Paraguay, the passing…
Ghost Guns Are Increasingly Empowering Brazil’s Powerful Gangs
A recent and extremely deadly anti-gang raid in Rio de Janeiro underscores both the escalating firepower of Brazil’s gangs and…
Brazil’s Red Command Turned Turf Control Into Ride-Hailing Monopoly
Brazil’s Red Command gang created its own Uber-style ride-hailing app, showing how Brazilian gangs are combining real-world territorial control and…