Terceiro Comando Puro
Brazilian drug cartel
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Terceiro Comando Puro (Pure Third Command, TCP) is a Brazilian criminal organization in Rio de Janeiro that split off from the Terceiro Comando (TC) in 2002 due to disputes about TC's affiliations with the Amigos dos Amigos gang. TC weakened while TCP strengthened and eventually absorbed its parent group's members. TCP is primarily involved with drug trafficking.[4]
 | |
| Founded | 2002 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Nei da Conceição Cruz, "Facão"[3] |
| Founding location | Maré, Rio de Janeiro |
| Years active | 2002 – present |
| Territory |  Brazil |
| Leaders |
|
| Activities | drug trafficking,[4] murder, assault, and extortion[citation needed] |
| Allies | Bonde do Maluco[5] |
| Rivals | Amigos dos Amigos,[4] Comando Vermelho, Primeiro Comando de Vitória [pt][6] |
The faction continues to operate against the Comando Vermelho in regions outside Rio de Janeiro, including the Brazilian states of Amazonas,[7] Ceará,[8] and Bahia,[9] and in Vitória, Espírito Santo.[6]
Leadership
As of 2024, there are currently 5 major leaders, 2 of which are currently incarcerated.[10] Thiago da Silva Folly, who is known as "TH", is in charge of drug trafficking in the Maré neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro.[11] The Israel Complex which is a group of favelas in the neighborhoods of Parada de Lucas, Vigário Geral, Cidade Alta, Cinco Bosas, Pica-Pau[12] is controlled by Álvaro Malaquias Santa Rosa,[13] who is known as "Peixão" ("Big Fish"). Bruno da Silva Loureiro, who is known as "Coronel" ("Colonel"), operates in western Rio de Janeiro.[14]
There are 2 leaders who are currently serving prison sentences Marcelo Santos das Dores, who is known as "Menor P" ("Minor P"),[15] and Rafael Alves, who is known as "Peixe" ("Fish"), who is in charge of drug trafficking in Vila Aliança.[16]
Peixão
Álvaro Malaquias Santa Rosa, better known by the alias “Peixão” (born 14 March 1986 in Rio de Janeiro), is a Brazilian criminal affiliated with Terceiro Comando Puro. He operates as the leader of the organization in the favelas of the Complexo de Israel (Vigário Geral, Cidade Alta, and Parada de Lucas) in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Peixão became notable for imposing a form of Evangelical fundamentalism, described by researchers and the media as 'Narco-Pentecostalism', in the areas under his control.[17] This has resulted in the widespread persecution and expulsion of practitioners of Afro-Brazilian religions from those communities.[18][19] There have also been reports that the trafficker has prohibited Catholic worship, although this does not appear to have occurred systematically.[20]
Usage of Evangelical and Israeli aesthetics
Terceiro Comando Puro has adopted, at least nominally, the same Pentecostal-Charismatic Christianity that has been growing among residents of the Brazilian favelas, including the idea that the existence of the State of Israel will help bring about the Second Coming of Jesus. Terceiro Comando Puro gave the name of "Complexo de Israel" (Israel Complex) to the group of five favelas in northern Rio de Janeiro that it controls, and drug packages marked with the Star of David have been confiscated from the gang by Brazilian police. In the regions controlled by the drug trafficker Álvaro Malaquias Santa Rosa, aka Peixão, Israeli flags were raised and Stars of David were displayed on the walls in several locations.[21][22] Additionally, the gang has persecuted adherents of the Afro-Brazilian religions and Catholics.[23][24]
This tendency of intertwining between drug trafficking factions and neo-pentecostalism has been dubbed by journalists and researchers as "Narco-Pentecostalism".[22]