Amigos dos Amigos (ADA, ''Friends of Friends'') is a

criminal organization Organized crime (or organised crime) is a category of transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally th ...

that operates in the

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

ian city of

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

. It was started up in 1998 when a member of

Comando Vermelho Comando Vermelho (, ''Red Command'' or ''Red Commando''), also known as C.V. is a Brazilian criminal organization engaged primarily in drug trafficking, arms trafficking, protection racketeering, kidnappings-for-ransom, armored truck hijackings ...

was expelled from the organization for ordering the murder of another member. The gang's main rivals are

and

Terceiro Comando Puro Terceiro Comando Puro is a Brazilian criminal organization in Rio de Janeiro. They split from the Terceiro Comando in 2002. Group activity is concentrated in the northern and eastern areas, specifically the neighborhood of Senador Camará, Refer ...

. ADA controls many drug selling points in the North and West zones. Between 2004 and 2017, ADA controlled Rocinha, the largest

favela Favela () is an umbrella name for several types of working-class neighborhoods in Brazil. The term was first used in the Providência neighborhood in the center of Rio de Janeiro in the late 19th century, which was built by soldiers who had ...

in Rio de Janeiro, along with many other smaller favelas. With the assassination of the gang leader Bem-Te-Vi in 2005 by police, there was a renewed wave of violence as gangs fought for control over favelas previously controlled by ADA. ADA are thought to wield significant social power in the communities they control, winning support through handouts, throwing parties, and providing some services, while their rivals, the Red Command, imposes itself more through violence. The gang made global headlines in October 2009 when a

police helicopter Police aviation is the use of aircraft in police operations. Police services commonly use aircraft for traffic control, ground support, search and rescue, high-speed car pursuits, observation, air patrol and control of large-scale public events ...

crashed over Morro dos Macacos

, which is a major Amigos dos Amigos stronghold. The helicopter pilot was shot and lost control of his aircraft, killing two.

References

External links

UNODC Report - Firearms and drugs fuel conflict in Brazil's favelasProcurados - Facção A.D.A - Amigos dos Amigos
{{Organized crime groups in America Organized crime groups in Brazil 1998 establishments in Brazil