Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC), The Prison Gang who robbed banks, killed police and got two presidents elected

* episode starts at min 30 min.

From war lords, to drug kingpins, Cartels, criminals, gangs, serial killers, and ever day psychos, World on Drugs with Steve Furey deep dives into subjects and people other wont. We analyze it through the lens of comedy, to try and see how and why these people/event went down the wrong road. So come join me, Steve Furey and my funny friends to learn about some of the people who stay in the shadows.

From Last Comic Standing, Hbo Max, and JFL Francisco Ramos @framoscomedy and Researcher Patryk Grazewicz

Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) was created in early 90s by a small group of envy-seeking prisoners who were disturbed by massacre of their friends in Canrandiru prison. One step at time, they were slowly building one of the biggest and most sophisticated prison empires in the world. Directed by a charismatic, ambitious leader and influenced by left-wing politics and ideas, they achieved corporation-level type of management with its own independent departments, laws, unions and courts. They are able to co-ordinate actions not only inside one prison, but all over the country and beyond. In the cells, and on the streets. Their business contacts stretch as far as Mozambique and Lebanon. Their power and influence grew so big that PCC had even influenced presidential election results and conducted spectacular, military-type operations abroad. And there is no end in sight, officials are feeling hopeless and desperate as PCC’s membership surges. On one hand violence, terrorism and drugs. On the other hand guaranteed social security, sophisticated heists and political activism.

List of sources:
https://www.aei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Breaking-Out.pdf?x91208

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10714839.2017.1373963

http://www.cidh.oas.org/annualrep/99eng/merits/Brazil11.291.htm

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2013/04/carandiru-and-scandal-brazil-s-medieval-prison-system/

https://cco.ndu.edu/Portals/96/Documents/prism/prism8_1/190306_PRISM8_1_Coutinho.pdf?ver=2019-03-05-152801-577

https://www.france24.com/en/20131017-brazil-world-cup-terror-gang-prisons-mobile-phones-maximum-security-sao-paulo

https://www.americasquarterly.org/article/reports-of-the-pccs-demise-are-greatly-exaggerated/

https://www.americasquarterly.org/fulltextarticle/can-anyone-stop-brazils-pcc/

https://www.scielo.br/j/ea/a/QmzfNj4SHMNNfNKnXW5RkGB/?lang=en&format=pdf

https://cco.ndu.edu/Portals/96/Documents/prism/prism8_1/190306_PRISM8_1_Coutinho.pdf?ver=2019-03-05-152801-577

https://theconversation.com/a-bank-heist-in-paraguays-wild-wild-west-reveals-the-dark-underbelly-of-free-trade-77125