«First command of the capital» and «Red command»as main criminal drug trafficking organizations in Brazil

The current drug situation in the Republic of Brazil as well as the activities of the largest and most powerful drug trafficking organizations such as «First Command of the Capital» (Primeiro Comando da Capital) and«Red Command» (Comando Vermelho) are considered in the article based on the analysis of scientific sources and empirical data presented by the Federal Police of the Republic of Brazil at the International Round Table Conference «Countering Transnational Organized Crime in the Sphere of Illicit Drug Trafficking in some Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean», held on November 22, 2019 at the Training Center of Siberian Law Institute of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, located in the city of Managua, Republic of Nicaragua as well as the author’s personal involvement in the training of these officers. The article deals with historical aspects of the formation of these criminal organizations, the specific character of their activities, the relationship between «First Command of the Capital» and «Red Command» and particular police operations carried out in different periods and aimed at countering their illegal activities.