(Medellin, 4. April 2023, insight crime).- A series of murders in the Colombia-Brazil-Peru border triangle has raised concerns about the power of Brazilian mafia groups in the region. Although their presence is fought, these groups seem to be gaining influence by the day.
According to the Colombian news portal the empty chair the capital of the Colombian department of Amazonas, Leticia, reported two dead and two injured over the weekend of March 24-26. Among them was the murder of a Colombian national in Tabatinga, a Brazilian community bordering Colombia. Although the perpetrators are unknown, Brazilian groups from Tabatinga are believed to be connected. This would have enabled them to settle on Colombian soil, according to the portal.
With 50,000 inhabitants, Leticia is part of the border triangle in the middle of the Amazon region, where Colombia, Peru and Brazil meet. This transit zone of the three countries has long been a center of criminal activity, particularly drug trafficking.
homicide rate up
According to unofficial police information from Leticia from 2022, the number of murders has increased since 2020. With mobility in the area restricted due to pandemic guidelines, there was an explosion of violence after the border reopened in 2021. Since criminal groups were now able to cross the border unhindered again, according to the police, they tried to assert their claims to the area again.
According to data from the Colombian National Police, homicides increased by 300 percent between 2020 and 2021, from 6 to 24. Last year, 32 homicides were registered, a 33 percent increase on the previous year. The previous years there were seven murders (2018) and five (2019).
Analyse von InSight Crime
The rise in violence in Leticia and the tri-border region is the result of an explosive mix: Brazilian groups are strengthening their alliances with Colombian groups to control drug trafficking, while the consequences are being felt on Colombian soil.
According to information obtained by InSight Crime at the scene, the latest acts of violence are the result of a dispute between the Red Commando (Red Command, CV) and Os Crias, a new local gang from the Amazon. Os Crias is from the criminal organization Family of the North (Northern Family, FDN) emerged. The FDN is a Brazilian criminal organization that controlled the region before 2020 and fought for dominance in the city of Tabatinga in 2021.
Although the Os Crias group emerged victorious from the conflict, their supremacy was very soon challenged by the Red Commando CV, which allied with Colombian groups such as Los Caqueteños to wage a new war in 2022. This led to a massive retreat from Os Crias, whose members continued to be killed on both sides of the border. While Los Caqueteños were thought to be no longer active, they appear to have resumed operations on orders from breakaway groups, sources told InSight Crime.
Alliance between Brazilian and Colombian groups
According to an official from the Leticia Mayor’s Office, who remains anonymous for security reasons, Os Crias managed to attract the attention of the First Capital Command (First Command of the Capital, PCC) to attract. According to the official, both organizations have joined forces and are trying to take back control of the border triangle in order to monopolize the transfer of cocaine through this region.
Also active in the area are organizations made up of ex-members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), so-called disidencias, who did not join the Colombian peace process of 2016 when the guerrillas were demobilized. These factions, the Grenzkommandos (Border Commandos) and the Front Carolina Ramírez, are mainly involved in drug trafficking and fought for supremacy in several communities in the Colombian department of Putumayo in 2022.
The border triangle is also home to 6,472 hectares of coca plantations, mostly on the Peruvian side, and several drug laboratories. These are the main reasons for controlling this industry.
It is conceivable that the region will continue to see high levels of violence.Police authorities told InSight Crime that the open border between Tabatinga in Brazil and Leticia in Colombia is complicating the situation; while there is a lack of control and police cooperation, criminals can very easily move across the border and disappear.
Brazilian mafia groups take control of the border triangle by News Pool Latin America is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 international.