SUMMARY
Since mid-1990’s, Brazil's most powerful criminal organizations Comando Vermelho and PCC dominated drug trade in the country and peaceful relations were maintained by a truce. Although the groups originated in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo respectively, their power reached nationwide. The truce was broken in late 2016, after 20 years of coexistence, which led to an eruption of violence between the factions and their allies around the country. The factions fight for control over the national drug trade, as well as the trafficking routes connecting to neighboring countries such as Bolivia, Colombia, Peru and Paraguay. At first, fighting was concentrated in prisons, however, a series of tit-for-tat attacks spurred further violence on the streets.
Bonde dos 13, PCC and Comando Vermelho enmity started soon after the creation of Bonde dos 13, in 2013, as the group splintered from the PCC’s cell in Acre state. A discontent with PCC’s leaders, dominance, and bureaucracy were stated causes for the split. Despite being made up of criminals who once belonged to PCC and left for the sake of autonomy, in practice Bonde dos 13 still had a certain degree of subordination to the São Paulo group, as they worked together to counter Comando Vermelho in the state.
Brazilian authorities and public security specialists have pointed out that, since the death of the famous drug lord, Jorge Rafaat Toumani, in June 2016, the coalition of Bonde dos 13 and PCC lost influence in Acre to their main rival. After the assassination, Comando Vermelho expanded, and managed to dominate most of Acre’s drug routes and trade.
Despite its weakening, the Bonde dos 13 and PCC alliance still held control over small regions in the north of the state and in the capital, Rio Branco. Those areas thus granted them access to a portion of local consumer markets and some international drug trafficking routes. Moreover, the coalition also had a large involvement in the 4x4 truck theft business, which was usually destined for Bolivia.
Bonde dos 13 and PCC thus maintained quite a friendly relationship, being allies against Comando Vermelho. However, the alliance was challenged in late 2020 due to the weakening of PCC, as state authorities started persecuting, arresting, and killing some of its local leaders and members.
Such scenario then undermined PCC’s strength, thus creating an opportunity for Bonde dos 13 to seize power and grow stronger. In mid-2021, after internal disputes with PCC, Bonde dos 13 signed a brief truce with Comando Vermelho as a way of challenging its former ally in Acre. The pact between the groups lasted until March-2022 and resulted in a decrease in the levels of violence in the state for that period.
Nevertheless, after the disruption of the truce, the state saw a notable rise in violence, and a return to the pre-truce configuration, which reinforced Bonde dos 13, PCC and Comando Vermelho as main rivals in the state.
The non-state conflict between Bonde dos 13, PCC and Comando Vermelho is first included in UCDP data in 2019, when their fighting resulted in more than 25 battle-related deaths.
