Brazilian militias are illegal paramilitary groups composed mainly of current and former police officers, firefighters, and politicians, operating as mafia-like organizations. Based primarily in Rio de Janeiro, they engage in extortion, protection rackets, and other organized crime activities, often displacing drug gangs to control favelas. They emerged in the late 2000s from death squads rooted in the Brazilian military dictatorship. The groups maintain deep political connections and have been implicated in high-profile assassinations.
CRIMENET has extracted 14 linkages for this organization, including 9 cooperative ties across 9 organizations and 5 conflicts across 4 organizations.