PCC and CV gang war escalates in Belo Horizonte, Brazil

Belo Horizonte in Minas Gerais, a strategic corridor between São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and northern drug routes, has become a focal point for Brazil’s two largest criminal organizations, the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) and the Comando Vermelho (CV). After a national alliance between the groups collapsed in 2025, an open‑air conflict erupted over drug‑selling points and trafficking routes. The Aglomerado da Serra favela is the main battleground, with CV, PCC and the smaller Terceiro Comando Puro (TCP) vying for control, while neighborhoods such as Vila Cemig, Pedreira Prado Lopes, Maloquinha and Morro das Pedras also experience frequent shootings and intimidation.

State security forces have responded with large‑scale operations. Operation Ícaro III (May 2026) executed more than 200 warrants, resulting in about 60 arrests and the seizure of roughly R$ 8.4 million in assets across several districts of Juiz de Fora. Operation Vulcano II (May 2026) carried out 56 search warrants, arrested 11 suspects and confiscated 20 firearms, 1,400 rounds of ammunition and drugs. From January to November 2025, the Military Police removed over 12,000 weapons from circulation, while the Civil Police recorded a 26.8 % rise in drug‑related procedures and incinerated 11.9 tonnes of narcotics. Overall violent crime fell 21 % during the period, though homicide linked to faction disputes rose in the city’s peripheries.

On 28 May 2026 the United States designated both PCC and CV as foreign terrorist organizations, enabling asset freezes and expanded investigative cooperation. Brazilian authorities, led by Governor Romeu Zema and Vice‑Governor Mateus Simões, have created specialized task forces and intensified police presence to curb the gangs’ expanding influence.