SUMMARY

Amigos Para Sempre and Familía Terror Amapá were two gangs battling each other for control over drug trafficking in Amapá state, Brazil. With Amigos Para Sempre allied to the Comando Vermelho, and Familía Terror Amapá allied to the PCC, the local conflict made part of a nation-wide fight for dominance between Brazil's two largest criminal organizations.

Little is known about when the conflict between the gangs started, however in May 2021 the conflict escalated as the son of “Pezão”, one of Amigos Para Sempre's leaders, was killed. Consequently, Amigos Para Sempre declared a war on Familía Terror Amapá.

In the recent years, Amapá state has increased in importance for drug trafficking, due to its connection to the Amazon's trafficking routes and borders with Suriname. Other popular trafficking routes such as the ones along the Paraguayan border have been heavily targeted by security forces, which has led criminal organizations to seek for new routes. In turn, areas around these trafficking routes tended to be heavily contested by drug trafficking groups.

The conflict between the gangs took place in the state capital, Macapá, and neighboring town of Santana. Attacks between the gangs were characterized by shootouts and execution-style killings.

The non-state conflict between the Amigos Para Sempre and the Familía Terror Amapá was first included in UCDP data in 2021, when clashes between the groups surpassed the 25 battle-related deaths threshold.