SUMMARY

Sindicato do Crime (Sindicato do Crime do Rio Grande do Norte/Crime Syndicate of Rio Grande do Norte) was founded in 27 March 2013 and has become the biggest criminal organization in Rio Grande do Norte state in northeastern Brazil. The group emerged as a splinter from PCC in Rio Grande do Norte state, as a reaction to central PCC dominance, resulting in numerous members leaving the group to join the new faction Sindicato do Crime.

Similarly to other criminal organizations in Brazil, the group was founded in and operated from prisons. Sindicato do Crime controlled the majority of penitentiaries in Rio Grande do Norte state. However their influence went beyond the Brazilian penitentiary system to the streets, where their main activity was drug trade. Rio Grande do Norte state is an important region for controlling drug trafficking in Brazil, due to its proximity to Europe.

Sindicato do Crime later allied themselves with Comando Vermelho, one of Brazil's most powerful criminal organizations. Comando Vermelho had for years upheld peaceful relations with its main rival, PCC, until 2016 when their truce was broken, which led to an escalation of violence in the country. The groups and their allies battled for control over drug trafficking and trafficking routs. The new alliance caused further enmity between Sindicato do Crime and PCC which resulted in an eruption of violence in Rio Grande do Norte state.

The Sindicato do Crime has been involved in the non-state category of UCDP organized violence.