Organised crime controls 35% of Belford Roxo and São João de Meriti territory, ISP report indicates
The two municipalities in the Baixada Fluminense region have the highest proportion of area dominated by criminal groups in Rio de Janeiro state, according to ISP data.
Baixada Fluminense leads criminal control ranking in Rio de Janeiro
More than one-third of the territory of Belford Roxo and São João de Meriti is under the control of criminal groups, according to a survey released by g1.globo.com based on data from the Public Security Institute (ISP), produced in partnership with the Civil and Military Police. The two Baixada Fluminense municipalities each register 35% of area dominated — the highest proportion among all 92 municipalities in the state of Rio de Janeiro.
The study uses data collected in 2025. In absolute terms, the capital concentrates the largest extension under the control of drug traffickers and militias: 115 km². São Gonçalo follows, with 65 km², followed by Duque de Caxias, with 36 km². The three municipalities are part of the Metropolitan Region of Rio de Janeiro.
Restrictions in residents' daily lives
In dominated areas, the rules imposed by criminal groups directly interfere with the population's routine. In testimony to TV Globo, a resident described the constant presence of armed men on street corners and the risk of being shot for travelling through a route not authorised by the local group.
"It's barricade after barricade. We are forced to pass by the bandits, who are on the corners 24 hours a day," the resident said.
Sociologist Roberta Fernandes, from the Centre for Studies on Criminality and Public Security at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (Crisp-UFMG), points out that territorial expansion reflects the capacity of these organisations to accumulate resources, structure protection networks and diversify economic activities beyond drug trafficking. According to the researcher, the control also translates into curfews and restrictions on local commerce — determining who can sell and which products are permitted.
Control reaches municipalities with fewer than 15,000 residents
The ISP mapping identified controlled areas even in small municipalities. Comendador Levy Gasparian, on the border with Minas Gerais, had 8,741 residents in the 2022 Census and features in the survey. Trajano de Moraes (10,302 residents), Duas Barras (10,980), Aperibé (11,034) and Cardoso Moreira (12,958) also appear on the map.
Across the state, one in every three residents of Rio de Janeiro lives in areas under the control of criminal organisations, according to ISP data.
21 municipalities with no identified dominated areas
In 21 of the 92 municipalities in the state of Rio de Janeiro, the ISP recorded no territories controlled by criminal groups in 2025. The list includes Areal, Bom Jardim, Bom Jesus do Itabapoana, Cambuci, Engenheiro Paulo de Frontin, Iguaba Grande, Laje do Muriaé, Macuco, Mendes, Miguel Pereira, Natividade, Paty do Alferes, Piraí, Rio das Flores, Santa Maria Madalena, São José de Ubá, São José do Vale do Rio Preto, São Sebastião do Alto, Sumidouro and Varre-Sai.
Source: Google News BR — São Paulo