SUMMARY

Drug trafficking gang Cartel do Norte had formed in early 2021 as a merger between former members of the FDN and the PCC Amazonas state. FDN had previously been allied to Comando Vermelho until 2020, when the alliance between the two groups broke, and the groups started fighting each other. Instead, FDN allied with Comando Vermelho's archenemy, the PCC. As Cartel do Norte was formed in 2021, FDN was absorbed into it and was now extinct.

The fighting between Cartel do Norte and Comando Vermelho were characterized by execution-style killings, shootouts, drive-by shootings, beheadings and torture. Videos of their acts of violence would frequently be posted on social media. In attempts to threaten each other and show their strength, the gangs would draw the group's acronym with grafitti on house walls in contested areas and shoot fireworks.

The group's main areas of operation were the state capital, Manaus, and neighboring town of Iranduba. During 2021, numerous neighborhoods across Manaus saw intese fighting between the groups. Although Comando Vermelho remained the dominant group in the area, Cartel do Norte posed serious challenges to its dominance. As Comando Vermelho suffered internal disputes, the group was weakened which allowed Cartel do Norte to successfully take over control over the point of drug sales in Cidade de Deus neighborhood in July 2021. Cartel do Norte has since been recruiting members who are leaving Comando Vermelho.

The non-state conflict between the Cartel do Norte and the Comando Vermelho was first included in UCDP data in 2021, when clashes between the groups surpassed the 25 battle-related deaths threshold.