The model of the drug trade implemented in Brazil and Latin America, especially with the rise of the cocaine trade after the 1980s, adopted armed violence to both strengthen and expand the drug market and build a front-line defense against repressive policies adopted by the governments. This violent model is the primary cause of lethal violence among youth throughout the country. Drug dealers seem to have discovered the perfect environment to expand their business in the grotas — deprived neighborhoods — of Maceió. This presentation will explore youths’ narratives regarding the micro-level of the drug trade in Maceió and its relationship to violent street crime, as well as structural aspects of the so-called bocas (set of locations for drug retail selling and/or the territorial domain of drug dealers) and drug trafficking networks and their dynamic over the city. The qualitative data for this presentation consists of an ethnographical study based on participant observation and in-depth qualitative interviews with twenty-four male youths who had intense experiences with street violence. The data shows that lethal street violence occurs mainly in deprived areas of the city with the use of gunfire, and youth in lower-level positions in the drug trade are mostly the victims and perpetrators of it. The growth of street violence is mainly related to the expansion of drug trade and criminal organizations over the city. A micro-level understanding of the drug business and youth engagement in it is essential for formulating effective preventive and repressive policies against high levels of lethal street violence.