The elite of crime and the crimes of the elite: a case study about the organized crime and its interaction with actors and state institutions in Mexico and Brazil

O crime organizado no Brasil está tão infiltrado no estado quanto no México. A diferença é que, enquanto no caso mexicano ele se organiza em cartéis violentos, formados nos estratos mais baixos da sociedade, no modelo brasileiro ele conspira do alto, a partir de sua elite política e econômica. Levando em conta essa particularidade, o texto explora um desenho de pesquisa de casos mais similares, aproveitando simetrias históricas, culturais e econômicas entre os dois países, para refletir sobre as razões dessa diferença sutil no caráter da captura do estado por grupos criminosos.Organized crime in Brazil has penetrated the state in Brazil as much as in Mexico. The difference is that while in Mexico it is organized by violent cartels, formed in the lowest rungs of society, in Brazil it conspires from above, from its political and economic elite. Considering this particular feature, the text uses a most similar case research design, taking advantage of historical, cultural and economic symmetries between the two countries, to reflect on the reasons for this small difference in the character of state capture by criminal networks