Gangs in Rio have upped the ante of bloodthirsty. They used to kidnap people and dump their bodies in a flaming stack of tyres. Their new technique is to hijack a public bus, rob all the passengers and then set it ablaze. If the police ask any questions, the gangs lob grenades into their barracks. Yesterday the governor announced the deployment of military troops in order to wrest back control of the slums (favelas) from the gangs. We went to Rocinha, Brazil's biggest favela, to find out how paradise became a gangster's paradise.The reason Rio's gang problem got so bad was because the rich didn't give a shit about the poor. Soon enough the slums mushroomed into a gigantic maze of shacks so dense and impenetrable that they became unpoliceable. In the absence of the state, the gangs became the government of these shanty-cities. They "tax" residents in exchange for controlling violent crime, providing medical insurance, funding the local football club, and throwing massive Baile Funk block parties.The Rocinha favela in the hills above Rio hosts regular sightseeing trips where tourists are led through the safe areas. We bribed a guy to take us to the most dangerous area. He took us to Get High Street (that's what it's called). The road was blocked with boulders to prevent cop cars from getting through. Snarling drug dealers lined the pavement and our guide warned us to hide our cameras. We sat down at a nearby café and talked to local resident Marceo over a plate of rice and black beans.
A cloudy day in Rocinha favela in the hills above Rio.VICE: So who are the baddest gangs in Rio?
Marceo: There are 3 main gangs. Comando Vermelho (Red Command), Terceiro Comando Puro (Pure Third Command), and Amigos dos Amigos (Friends of Friends). This favela is run by Amigos dos Amigos.Yeah, we noticed "A.D.A." tagged on the walls everywhere. Why did the recent violence flare up?
In the past few weeks it has been very dangerous. But it started over a year ago. Ex-police and ex-firemen have formed militias. They want to take over the drug trade from the gangs so they started assassinating the known bosses.
The A.D.A. fund the local football teams.Have they killed anyone from this favela?
In that house over there (he points to an empty cinderblock building pockmarked with bullet holes) the police did undercover surveillance for weeks. Don't look, the gangsters may see you and suspect you are cops! They were waiting for Bem-Te-Vi (an A.D.A. gangster whose popularity in Rocinha earned him political influence). When he came by the police stormed out and killed him right there (he points to a mural cariacature of the late gang leader).Do you think the police are corrupt?
The police will kill Amigos dos Amigos, take their guns and sell them to Vermelho Commando. When they get too strong, they kill them and sell the guns to Terceira Commando. They want power just so they can take the money themselves.When did the gang violence start getting bad?
In the 1980s when the rich people in Rio started wanting cocaine.
It was raining and the sewers were overflowing and everywhere smelt like shit.How much does a gram of cocaine cost?
A gram of good coke cost 50 Reals ($20). The best coke is pink coke from Peru. Pink, shiny crystals - fishscale. But you can't get that often. Here they cut it with yeast, maize, baking soda, and I heard the other day about coke cut with granulated marble.How deep does the drug trade run?
There are 200,000 people living in Rocinha. About $3 million worth of cocaine runs through here every week. There are around 2,000 soldiers, but tens of thousands are involved in the drug business – dealers, lookouts for the dealers, traffickers, users…
A makeshift roadside barbershop on Get High Street, complete with bullet holes in the wall.See that kite flying over there? We heard that they were signals used by the gangs. Is that true?
No. The kids here like flying kites, that's all. The lookouts let off fireworks to warn the dealers if police are in the area.How tooled-up are these guys?
The have AK47s, 7.62 bullets, grenades, bazookas… Guns are everywhere. Four people died here on New Year's Eve when the dealers starting shooting in the air.* For more on the favela gangs watch "Surviving the Slums of Rio"DOM TUNON
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A cloudy day in Rocinha favela in the hills above Rio.VICE: So who are the baddest gangs in Rio?
Marceo: There are 3 main gangs. Comando Vermelho (Red Command), Terceiro Comando Puro (Pure Third Command), and Amigos dos Amigos (Friends of Friends). This favela is run by Amigos dos Amigos.Yeah, we noticed "A.D.A." tagged on the walls everywhere. Why did the recent violence flare up?
In the past few weeks it has been very dangerous. But it started over a year ago. Ex-police and ex-firemen have formed militias. They want to take over the drug trade from the gangs so they started assassinating the known bosses.
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The A.D.A. fund the local football teams.Have they killed anyone from this favela?
In that house over there (he points to an empty cinderblock building pockmarked with bullet holes) the police did undercover surveillance for weeks. Don't look, the gangsters may see you and suspect you are cops! They were waiting for Bem-Te-Vi (an A.D.A. gangster whose popularity in Rocinha earned him political influence). When he came by the police stormed out and killed him right there (he points to a mural cariacature of the late gang leader).Do you think the police are corrupt?
The police will kill Amigos dos Amigos, take their guns and sell them to Vermelho Commando. When they get too strong, they kill them and sell the guns to Terceira Commando. They want power just so they can take the money themselves.When did the gang violence start getting bad?
In the 1980s when the rich people in Rio started wanting cocaine.
It was raining and the sewers were overflowing and everywhere smelt like shit.How much does a gram of cocaine cost?
A gram of good coke cost 50 Reals ($20). The best coke is pink coke from Peru. Pink, shiny crystals - fishscale. But you can't get that often. Here they cut it with yeast, maize, baking soda, and I heard the other day about coke cut with granulated marble.How deep does the drug trade run?
There are 200,000 people living in Rocinha. About $3 million worth of cocaine runs through here every week. There are around 2,000 soldiers, but tens of thousands are involved in the drug business – dealers, lookouts for the dealers, traffickers, users…
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A makeshift roadside barbershop on Get High Street, complete with bullet holes in the wall.See that kite flying over there? We heard that they were signals used by the gangs. Is that true?
No. The kids here like flying kites, that's all. The lookouts let off fireworks to warn the dealers if police are in the area.How tooled-up are these guys?
The have AK47s, 7.62 bullets, grenades, bazookas… Guns are everywhere. Four people died here on New Year's Eve when the dealers starting shooting in the air.* For more on the favela gangs watch "Surviving the Slums of Rio"DOM TUNON