SUMMARY

Bala na Cara (Bullet in the face) was a drug trafficking gang operating in Rio Grande do Sul state, in southern Brazil. As its name indicated, the group was known for its especially violent methods. The group emerged during the 2000s in the Bom Jesus neighborhood in the state capital Porto Alegre.

Initially, Bala na Cara was mainly involved with arms trafficking and robberies in addition to carrying out contract killings for another Rio Grande do Sul gang, Os Manos. Drug trafficking became the group's main focus in the early 2010s, when they also started battling other gangs for control over drug sales.

As the group's influence grew, it started expanding into Porto Alegre's metropolitan region and the Brazil-Uruguay border region. In 2015, Bala na Cara held presence in Paraguay, and around the same time period the group started operating in Argentina.

Bala na Cara had several leaders, with the main leaders being José Dalvani Nunes Rodrigues "Minhoca", Luis Fernando da Silva Soares Júnior "Júnior Perneta", Marcio Oliveira Shultz "Alemão Schultz" and Fabio Fogassa "Alemão Lico". The group was allied to Comando Vermelho, one of Brazil's biggest criminal organizations, and Primeiro Grupo Catarinense, a group native to Santa Catarina State.

Bala na Cara has been involved in the non-state category of UCDP organized violence.