SUMMARY

Bonde dos 40 (Group of 40) was founded on 19 October 2007 and became one of the most prominent criminal organizations in the state of Maranhão, in northeastern Brazil. Their main activities and source of income were drug trading, robberies, and prostitution. The group was also remarkable for its high level of violence, which helped prompt its image of a highly dangerous group.

Bonde dos 40 was formed after a series of bloody riots in the Pedrinhas Penal Complex, located in the city of São Luís created a rivalry between inmates from the capital and those from the countryside. To defend themselves from the harsh conditions faced in the penal system and the constant threats from rivals, prisoners from the capital organized themselves and formed the Bonde dos 40. Meanwhile, their adversaries from the countryside created one of its main rivals, PCM.

The group operated in the Metropolitan Area of São Luís, where they fought Comando Vermelho and PCM over the control of local drug markets. Yet, Bonde dos 40 also expanded its operations to eastern Maranhão and the neighboring state of Piauí. The group held a sizeable presence in the shared border area between both states, particularly in the Metropolitan regions of Timon (Maranhão) and Teresina (Piauí), where they fought PCC over the control of local drug markets.

Bonde dos 40 has been involved in the non-state category of UCDP organized violence.