BRAZIL · CRIME
Key Facts
- —Power Index Brazil ranks 1st of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 75.0 points (October 2026 edition).
- —What is happening A cross-border study finds crime groups in 768 of 1,310 Amazon local government areas across six countries.
- —Why it matters Illegal and legal gold enter the same refineries, so the crime reaches international supply chains.
- —The numbers In 33% of affected areas more than one group operates; nine organisations work in two or more countries.
- —Who is who Comando Vermelho (Red Command) and the PCC are Brazilian gangs the United States designated terrorist groups in 2026.
- —What to watch Whether Amazon governments add anti-money-laundering and forest-protection steps to police and military operations, as the study urges.
- —What it means for you US gold and critical-mineral investors face supply-chain questions; the study is research, not a travel warning.
A new cross-border study maps criminal groups across the Amazon. It finds them in 768 of the 1,310 municipalities surveyed in six countries.
Criminal networks or armed groups operate in 768 of 1,310 Amazon municipalities, a new cross-border study finds. A municipality is a local government area, similar to a US county.
That is about 59% of the places surveyed in Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela. Gold has overtaken cocaine as the most lucrative criminal business in the region, the study says.
The study, Crime Presence in the Amazon 2026, comes from Amazon Underworld, a cross-border investigative alliance. It was first published on Wednesday, 14 October 2026.
What the Study Found
Researchers collected data between May and October 2026 through interviews, state documents and information requests. Sources included Indigenous leaders, prosecutors, police and intelligence officials.
The study counts a group as present only when it runs some economic activity in a municipality. Using a municipality only as a trade route does not count.
In 33% of the affected municipalities, more than one group operates. Nine organisations now work across two or more of the six countries.
The 2025 edition found groups in 67% of its sample. This year’s sample is 323 municipalities larger, so the study says the percentages do not show a decline.
In Plain English
- —Municipality A local government area, similar to a US county. The study uses the Amazon region as defined by RAISG, a network of Amazon mapping groups.
- —Comando Vermelho Red Command, a Brazilian criminal group. The study says it controls major drug transit routes and illegal gold mining in parts of the Amazon.
- —PCC Primeiro Comando da Capital, a Brazilian criminal group. The study says it focuses on drug distribution hubs and money laundering.
Gold, Cocaine and the Supply Chain
The study calls gold the most lucrative criminal industry in the Amazon, ahead of cocaine. It values a one-kilogram bar, about the size of a smartphone, at roughly US$135,000 on Friday, 9 October 2026.
Illegally mined and legally mined gold enter the same refineries, the study says. Armed groups also title and sell seized land to legal businesses.
Cocaine moves along Amazon rivers to ports in the Guianas (Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana) and Brazil. From there it ships to West Africa and Europe, the study says.
Illegal mining of tin, tungsten and coltan, an electronics ore, is under way in Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela, the study says. It says China dominates refining, while the US moves to secure mineral cooperation deals in Colombia and Venezuela.
What the Study Says About Brazil
The study says Comando Vermelho controls major transit routes linked to Venezuela, Peru, Colombia and the Guianas. It also says the group dominates illegal gold mining in the Sararé Indigenous Territory, in Mato Grosso state.
The study says the PCC has lost ground to Comando Vermelho in the Brazilian Amazon. It keeps its main foothold in Roraima and a strategic presence in logistics hubs in the states of Rondônia, Tocantins and Maranhão.
Both groups cross borders, the study says. Comando Vermelho is present in Bolivia, Peru and Colombia, and the PCC in Bolivia and Peru.
The US Link
The US State Department designated the PCC and Comando Vermelho foreign terrorist organisations by notice dated Thursday, 28 May 2026. It took effect on publication in the Federal Register, the official US government journal, on Friday, 5 June 2026.
The study counts nine US-designated terrorist organisations in the Amazon basin, present in 694 of the researched municipalities (53%). It adds that the labels carry sanctions but give no international legal authority for cross-border military force.
The study also says militarised crackdowns tend to displace criminal activity rather than end it. It urges anti-money-laundering action, forest protection and regional cooperation alongside policing.
What It Means for You
Investors in gold and critical minerals face traceability questions, since the study says illegal and legal gold share refineries. The study names no company.
US firms with Brazilian counterparties should note the terrorist designations, which the study says carry US sanctions. Nothing here is legal advice.
The study is a research report, not a travel warning. US travellers should follow State Department guidance for the country they visit.
Related reports are Brazil and the United States, Relations Explained and Brazil Senate Sets Security Amendment Vote. More is on the Brazil hub, in Brazil Explained and in the guide to Rio de Janeiro.
What Is Not Known
The report’s text gives no count of Brazilian municipalities among the 768, only maps and charts. Presence is judged from interviews and documents, so the figures estimate where groups operate and are not court findings.
No response from Brazil’s federal government to the study was found as of Monday, 2 November. The report does not say whether future editions will use the same 1,310-municipality sample.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Amazon Underworld study?
It maps criminal networks and armed groups in 1,310 Amazon municipalities across six countries. Amazon Underworld, a cross-border investigative alliance, first published it on 14 October 2026.
How many Amazon municipalities have crime groups?
The study finds criminal networks or armed groups in 768 of 1,310 municipalities, about 59%. A group counts only if it runs economic activity there.
Has crime in the Amazon grown since last year?
The study says its figures cannot show that. The 2025 edition found groups in 67% of a smaller sample, and the 2026 sample added 323 municipalities.
Which Brazilian groups does the study name?
It names Comando Vermelho and the Primeiro Comando da Capital. The United States designated both foreign terrorist organisations by notice dated Thursday, 28 May 2026, effective 5 June.
Sources: Amazon Underworld, Crime Presence in the Amazon 2026 (report, October 2026); Amazon Underworld, project site; US Department of State, Foreign Terrorist Organization Designation of Primeiro Comando da Capital and Comando Vermelho, Federal Register notice 2026-11323, dated 28 May 2026, published 5 June 2026 (91 FR 34267); accessed 2 November 2026.
Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error
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