Global InformationPrimeiro Comando da Capital information
 The yin and yang is used as PCC symbol. [1] | |
| Founded | 31 August 1993 |
|---|---|
| Founders |
|
| Founding location | Taubaté House of Custody and Treatment, Taubaté, São Paulo, Brazil |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Territory | Main territory:[3][4]
Main routes/Significant influence:[3][4][5]
Significant activity:[3][6][7][8][9][10]
|
| Ethnicity | Brazilians (predominantly) Paraguayans, Venezuelans, Argentines |
| Membership | 40,000 lifetime members + 60,000 "contractors" (2023)[6] |
| Leader(s) |
|
| Criminal activities | Drug trafficking, carjacking, murder, fraud, arms trafficking, extortion, money laundering, illegal logging, wildlife trafficking, illegal gold mining, smuggling, kidnapping, robbery, bribery and terrorism |
| Allies | Amigos dos Amigos, Terceiro Comando Puro, Tren de Aragua, Primer Cartel Uruguayo, Clan Insfrán, 'Ndrangheta, Hezbollah[7][13] |
| Rivals | Comando Vermelho, Família do Norte, Clan Rotela, Militias[14][15][16] |
The Primeiro Comando da Capital ("First Capital Command", Portuguese pronunciation: [pɾiˈmejɾu koˈmɐ̃du da kapiˈtaw], PCC) is a Brazilian organized crime syndicate. According to a 2023 The Economist report, the PCC is Latin America's biggest drug gang, with a membership of 40,000 lifetime members plus 60,000 "contractors".[6] Its name refers to the São Paulo state capital, the city of São Paulo.
The group is based in the state of São Paulo and is active throughout Brazil, South America, West Africa and Europe. An international expansion fueled by the cocaine trade made the PCC establish a profitable partnership with the Italian 'Ndrangheta and, as of 2023, run over 50% of Brazil's drug exports to Europe. Through the cocaine trade routes to Europe, the PCC also established itself as a central player in the West African cocaine trade, with its members being able to exert control over neighbourhoods in cities such as Lagos and Abuja.[6][17] According to a leaked Portuguese intelligence report, the group also has around 1,000 associates in Lisbon.[6]
Historically, the PCC has been responsible for several criminal activities such as murders, prison riots, drug trafficking, bank and highway robberies, protection rackets, pimping, kidnappings-for-ransom, money laundering, bribery, loan sharking, and obstruction of justice, with an expansion focused on drug trafficking since the 2010s. As of 2023, the PCC is currently transitioning into a global mafia, being able to influence politics[18] and penetrate the legal economy.[6] According to São Paulo state authorities, the group has had a yearly revenue of at least US$ 1 billion since 2020.[19]
The PCC is often mentioned to have a different doctrine to other Brazilian cartels, with a business model that favors the quiet expansion of markets over violent and expensive turf wars[3] and confrontations with the state that would draw unwanted attention.[20] The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime noted that the PCC's ability to negotiate with rivals rather than expelling them has permitted the group to make use of preestablished criminal networks and preexisting logistics know-how along the cocaine value chain, encouraging peaceful cooperation between different groups and producing greater economic efficiency by reducing operating costs.[3][20] However, the group has been responsible for waves of extreme violence, including targeted political violence and terrorism, upon having their interests threatened.[21]
- ^ "O Primeiro Comando da Capital - PCC" (in Portuguese). International Police Association. 16 August 2018. Archived from the original on 1 November 2023. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
hist1was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b c d e f Gabriel Feltran, Isabela Vianna Pinho and Lucia Bird Ruiz-Benitez de Lugo (August 2023). "Atlantic Connections: The PCC and the Brazil-West Africa cocaine trade" (PDF). Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 October 2023. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
- ^ a b Flávio Costa, Luís Adorno (10 August 2018). "PCC domina o crime em 8 estados e disputa o controle em outros 13 e no DF" (in Portuguese). UOL. Archived from the original on 3 June 2023. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
- ^ Ryan C. Berg (October 2021). "Tussle for the Amazon: New Frontiers in Brazil's Organized Crime Landscape". Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy. p. 12,13. Archived from the original on 4 July 2022. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Brazil's biggest drug gang has gone global". The Economist. 23 November 2023. Archived from the original on 30 November 2023. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
- ^ a b Marcelo Godoy (4 December 2023). "As novas ligações do PCC e da máfia 'Ndrangheta com o Hezbollah no tráfico internacional de drogas" (in Portuguese). O Estado de S. Paulo. Archived from the original on 4 December 2023. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
- ^ "Crimen organizado: UDI alerta que Primer Comando Capital de Brasil estaría en Chile" (in Spanish). Bio Bio Chile. 21 January 2023. Archived from the original on 21 January 2023. Retrieved 2023-03-30.
- ^ Ryan C Berg (March 2020). "Breaking Out - Brazil's First Capital Command and the emerging prison-based threat" (PDF). p. 13. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 April 2022. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
- ^ "Além do PCC: Brasil tem atuação de 53 facções; qual a mais dominante?" (in Portuguese). UOL. 17 March 2023. Archived from the original on 17 March 2023. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
- ^ "Os donos do crime: Marcola, Beira-Mar e Zé Roberto da Compensa". Istoé. 6 January 2017. Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 2022-07-21.
- ^ Rafael Villarroel (22 February 2024). "Entenda os detalhes da maior crise enfrentada pelo PCC" (in Portuguese). CNN Brasil. Archived from the original on 27 March 2024. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
- ^ "Primer Cartel Uruguayo, la banda creada por Marset para traficar drogas y armas como el PCC" (in Spanish). El Deber. 3 August 2023. Archived from the original on 4 August 2023. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
- ^ Fonseca, Pedro; Brooks, Brad (6 January 2017). "Brazil gang kills 31, many hacked to death, as prison violence explodes". Reuters. Archived from the original on 7 January 2017. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
- ^ "InformeAgora: PCC x Clã Rotela: uma guerra que não acaba no Paraguai". Archived from the original on 2022-08-05. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
- ^ "Midiamax (VÍDEO): imagens mostram massacre em presídio durante guerra entre PCC e Clã Protela". Archived from the original on 2022-08-05. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
- ^ "Brazil crime gang has spread through most of country". Emirates 24/7. November 25, 2012. Archived from the original on 2022-01-04. Retrieved 2013-08-08.
- ^ Ryan C. Berg (19 June 2020). "Brazil's Workers' Party Has an Organized Crime Problem in the Making". American Enterprise Institute. Archived from the original on 15 November 2020. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
- ^ Fabíola Perez (4 September 2023). "PCC fatura R$ 4,9 bilhões ao ano com tráfico e preocupa europeus" (in Portuguese). UOL. Archived from the original on 6 September 2023. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
williswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Gabriel de Sousa (7 December 2023). "PCC planejou ação contra Lira e Pacheco em Brasília e atentado a bomba contra Moro" (in Portuguese). O Estado de S. Paulo. Archived from the original on 8 December 2023. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
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