Trump admin moves to classify two major Brazilian drug gangs as terrorist groups
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The Trump administration began classifying Brazil’s two largest drug gangs as foreign terrorist organizations on Thursday, increasing pressure on criminal cartels operating outside Brazil.
The two unions – First Command of Capital (PCC) and Red Command (CV) – have a total of more than 50,000 members. Associated Press.
“Today, the U.S. State Department designates Comando Vermelho (CV) and Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) and plans to designate both groups as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) effective June 5, 2026,” the State Department said. expression.
“CV and PCC are two of the most violent criminal organizations in Brazil. Together they command thousands of members and have carried out brutal attacks against Brazilian police officers, public officials and civilians. Their influence and illegal networks extend far beyond Brazil’s borders, into our region and our country,” the statement said.
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Police manage the burning of 20 tons of drugs seized during operations by the Brazilian Federal Police at the Companhia Siderurgica Nacional bakeries in Volta Redonda, Brazil. (Ernesto Carrico/NurPhoto, File)
The Trump administration will continue to use all available tools to protect the nation and U.S. national security interests by keeping illegal drugs off American streets and disrupting revenue streams that fund violent narco-terrorists, the department added.
“Today’s action by the State Department further demonstrates the Trump Administration’s unwavering commitment to dismantling cartels and criminal organizations in our region and ensuring the safety of the American people,” the department said in a statement. The statement was included.
The new appointment also comes after conservative Brazilian Senator Flávio Bolsonaro met with President Donald Trump in Washington and called on the administration to formally designate the gangs as terrorist entities.
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The 45-year-old senator and presidential candidate posted a photo of himself standing next to Trump in the Oval Office on Tuesday, giving a thumbs up as he tried to boost his image amid a political scandal at home.
“I went to ask him specifically to designate CV and PCC as terrorist organizations, because they are,” he told reporters in Washington.
With Brazil’s presidential election scheduled for October, supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro campaigned for the U.S. appointment to target the public security failures of current leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
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The Trump administration stepped up pressure on Brazilian crime cartels on Thursday by moving to classify the country’s two largest gangs – Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) and Comando Vermelho (CV) – as foreign terrorist organizations. (Photo: Fabio Teixeira/Image alliance, via Getty Images)
Supporters argue that the PCC and CV operate across international borders through drug trafficking, money laundering, arms smuggling and territorial control, making them comparable to other transnational groups already labeled terrorist organizations by the United States.
Lula da Silva’s government strongly opposes the designation, arguing that the gangs are heavily armed criminal organizations rather than ideologically motivated terrorist groups. Lula also wants to be re-elected.
Brazilian authorities this week launched a massive anti-gang financial crackdown targeting fraud and money laundering networks allegedly linked to PCC operations. Associated Press reported.
Prosecutors revealed that the investigation revealed that billions of reals were transferred through fintech companies and shell structures.
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Last year, Brazilian authorities also uncovered a sprawling criminal network that had infiltrated parts of the fuel industry and was linked to the financial sector through money-laundering schemes involving PCC members.
At that time, it was stated that the authorities seized assets of 1.2 billion reais (about 220 million dollars).
