Based on 18 months of field work in Brazil and Paraguay, this investigation explores the First Capital Command (Primeiro Comando da Capital – PCC), the hemisphere’s premier prison gang and one of the largest in the Americas.
The PCC is a unique organization. It is headquartered in Brazil’s and increasingly Paraguay’s penitentiary systems, but it has satellite organizations throughout the region, who are trafficking drugs on a local and an international level.
This series was done in conjunction with American University’s Center for Latin American and Latino Studies.
Investigation Chapters
PCC Investigation: Introduction and Major Findings
It was August 31, 1993, and the sun was shining when eight men entered a makeshift soccer pitch in the middle of the Taubaté prison.
PCC: A Prison from Which There Is No Escape
It was a Tuesday night, January 14, 2020, after “free time” when prison authorities found his body.
How PCC ‘Discipline’ Helped Gang Control the Underworld
On November 14, 2016, about 12 p.m., Carlos Magno de Souza was driving along the asphalt streets of Peruíbe, São Paulo, past the single-story houses that dot the seaside city when two military police stopped him.
Court Case Paints Picture of Disorganization in Brazil’s PCC
The PCC is often described as Brazil’s most potent criminal gang, but a recent case against it paints a picture that belies the reputation of the group as a strict, hierarchical transnational criminal organization.
While Taking Paraguay-Brazil Border, PCC Tries to Control Its Own
On June 10, 2016, Jorge Rafaat was driving his armored Hummer when he pulled up to a stop light in central Pedro Juan Caballero, a Paraguayan city at the border with Brazil.
Intercepts Show How Brazil Police Extort PCC
“Plata o Plomo” is an overused phrase to describe the way criminals threaten officials and civilians to ensure compliance with their wishes. In one Brazilian case, it seems more appropriately applied to the police.
