Comando Vermelho expands control over Amazon drug trafficking routes

The criminal faction Comando Vermelho (CV) has expanded its control over drug trafficking routes in the Amazon, surpassing the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) in the region. According to a report by the Global Initiative, the CV has consolidated its influence by forming ties with local traffickers, engaging in the illegal gold trade, and establishing corruption networks with regional authorities.

This expansion allows the CV to strengthen international connections, particularly with European buyers, by utilizing the porous borders of the Amazon. The region serves as a critical corridor for cocaine produced in Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia.

To facilitate large-scale exports to Europe, criminal groups are employing increasingly sophisticated methods. These include the use of fishing vessels, submersibles, armored boats, containers, and small aircraft. In the Brazilian state of Amapá, traffickers have utilized “narco-divers”—often former Navy divers or firefighters—to attach drug shipments to transatlantic ships anchored near the ports of Macapá and Santana.