This article uses quantitative and qualitative data to document the alarming expansion of the three largest organized criminal groups (OCGs) in Brazil, the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC), Comando Vermelho, and Família do Norte. It employs a novel dataset comprised of Google search queries about each criminal organization, and uses search interest as a proxy for OCG activity in a given state and year. The results show that the PCC has grown the most, well established in its headquarters of São Paulo state and now present in all other states in Brazil. Interviews reveal that over the course of almost three decades, the PCC has evolved from a prison gang to a transnational proto-mafia: it has linked and gained control over the entire drug supply chain that crosses Brazil. In addition, the PCC is able to directly challenge the state, and it controls prisons and community enclaves where it imposes its own model of criminal governance. These findings call attention to a concerning scenario for the Brazilian state and society as organized crime grows in size and power.

本文使用定量和定性数据来记录巴西三大有组织犯罪集团 (OCG) 的惊人扩张，即Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC)、Comando Vermelho和Família do Norte. 它采用了一个新的数据集，其中包含关于每个犯罪组织的谷歌搜索查询，并使用搜索兴趣作为给定州和年份的 OCG 活动的代理。结果表明，PCC 发展最快，在其圣保罗州总部建立了良好的基础，现在在巴西的所有其他州都有业务。采访显示，在近三十年的时间里，PCC 已经从一个监狱帮派演变为一个跨国原始黑手党：它已经连接并控制了横跨巴西的整个毒品供应链。此外，PCC 能够直接挑战国家，控制监狱和社区飞地，并在其中实施自己的刑事治理模式。随着有组织犯罪的规模和力量的增长，这些发现引起了人们对巴西国家和社会的关注。