Last year, police in Rio de Janeiro raided a luxurious property owned by a local drug lord. The officers described it as a resort because it had an artificial lake and a full gym. On the day the property was raided, dozens of the local favela children were playing and swimming in the lake.
The property owner, Álvaro Malaquias Santa Rosa, also known as “Peixão” or “Big Fish,” is one of the most wanted men in Brazil. His massive criminal network, Terceiro Comando Puro, or TCP, controls vast territories in Rio and engages in criminal activities in other cities as well.
Peixão faces at least 50 criminal charges, including charges for homicide and torture. But his fame has grown—not only for his crimes but also because he is a man of faith, adhering to an expression of evangelical neo-Pentecostalism.
