Comando Vermelho has expanded its borders, and today its business reaches at least 8 of the 12 countries in South America, according to federal police data. The faction mainly works with logistics services for international groups, with the aim of facilitating the flow of drugs to Europe and Africa.
In addition to its presence in Brazil, CV has operations in Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Argentina, Suriname, Paraguay and Bolivia.
Federal Police data obtained by Bound It shows that the international projection of the Vermelho Comando occurs through actions and partnerships with local criminal groups. These agreements facilitate the shipment of drugs and weapons destined for the Brazilian market and abroad.
According to the PF, the network of cooperation with groups from other countries is directly linked to the fact that the Vermelho Comando controls strategic routes within Brazilian territory.
These smuggling routes are used to transport drugs from major producing countries, such as Bolivia, Peru and Colombia. The final destination of the medicine, after crossing Brazil, is mainly European and African countries.
In this circuit, the CV system plays a crucial role in controlling the flow through Rio de Janeiro. In Pará, the faction is also exploring one of the main exit routes from the northern region, through official and secret ports.
Colombian drugs enter Brazil via river routes and are discharged through the Solimões River. A large portion of Peruvian cocaine enters the country via Bolivia and Paraguay using airplanes.
The Federal Police also indicate that Red Command and other factions are major providers of logistics services to international groups, including the Italian “Ndrangheta” mafia.
If the drug shipping point is Rio de Janeiro, for example, the CV is assigned to ensure local logistics, from loading security to access to port lanes.
“Although they also negotiate drugs and weapons abroad, Brazilian factions, including the CV Party, essentially act as major service providers,” he says. Bound Alexandre Custodio Neto, General Coordinator for Combating Drugs, Weapons, Crimes against Property and Criminal Factions of the National Front.
“Big drug brokers (clients), who have capital, buy drugs and negotiate sales abroad, look for factions to provide services. The intermediary could be linked to the CV, PCC (First Capital Command) or other smaller factions, depending on where they need logistics,” he added.
On another front, the Comando Vermelho relationship with neighboring countries is evident in the supply of weapons and drugs to the Brazilian market.
Recent investigations by the Federal Police had already indicated the Red Command’s links to the illicit supply of weapons and drugs on the Brazilian market. Operation Dakovo, launched by National Front forces in 2023, identified a Paraguayan businessman responsible for importing Croatian weapons into Brazil, supplying CV and PCC.
The police were able to see the conversations that took place between Felipe da Silva Gregorio, known as the Professor and designated as one of the leaders of the Vermelho Comando, with members of the Diego Hernan Deriocio group, which is considered one of the largest arms dealers in South America.
Both were targets of arrest warrants in the investigation that led to the dismantling of a scheme responsible for bringing about 43,000 weapons into Brazil from Paraguay and transporting 1.2 billion Brazilian reais in three years.
Investigations also indicate that although Comando Vermelho has criminal connections in several countries, Paraguay is the only country where the faction has some regional dominance.
The expansion of CV in Paraguay precedes the entry of the PCC into the country and its central figure is Luiz Fernando da Costa, also known as Fernandinho Beira Mar. Its goal was to open direct corridors between cocaine production in neighboring countries and retail trade in the slums of Rio de Janeiro.
Currently, both the Red Command and the PCC are present in Paraguayan territory.
“The presence of these factions in Paraguay is so strong that they prevail in illicit businesses in some routes and territories, including marijuana production,” Custodio says. “Members of the CV and PCC have confronted other criminal groups in Paraguay and participated in prison riots in that country.”
Last month, CV was at the center of the news due to the massive operation carried out by the Rio de Janeiro government against members of the faction, which left 122 people dead, including five police officers.
In recent years, the faction has expanded its activities and consolidated its territorial control in different regions of the country, where residents are forced to pay service and security fees and even “taxes” on the sale of property.