U.S. to Designate Brazil's Two Largest Gangs as Terrorist Organizations
Marco Rubio said the groups command more than 50,000 members combined and have carried out brutal attacks across Brazil and beyond.
- On Friday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the U.S. designated Brazil's Primeiro Comando da Capital and Comando Vermelho as Specially Designated Global Terrorists, with Foreign Terrorist Organization status effective June 5, 2026.
- The administration's move followed appeals from Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, who met with U.S. officials earlier this week to advocate for the designation ahead of October's presidential election.
- Rubio described the gangs as "two of the most violent criminal organizations in Brazil," noting they command thousands of members and orchestrate brutal attacks against Brazilian police officers, public officials, and civilians.
- Effective immediately, the designation blocks the groups' access to U.S. assets, though the Lula administration criticized the move as potential interference in Brazilian sovereignty and a pretext for future U.S. military action.
- This policy aligns with the Trump administration's broader strategy to combat Latin American cartels, while analysts expect the designation to become a wedge issue in October's presidential race between Lula and Bolsonaro.
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President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva harshly criticized the United States this Friday for naming Brazil's two largest criminal factions as terrorist groups and warned against "playing with the sovereignty" of the South American giant.
State Department designates Brazil’s two largest criminal syndicates as terrorist organizations
The U.S. State Department will formally classify Brazil’s two most powerful criminal syndicates, the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) and Comando Vermelho (Red Command), as Specially Designated Global Terrorists and Foreign Terrorist Organizations, with the designations taking effect June 5. The move freezes the gangs’ U.S.-held assets, imposes sweeping sanctions, and makes it a federal...
Trump labels PCC and Comando Vermelho as terrorist organizations and Brazil fears intervention
Brazil's government on Friday issued an official note rejecting the decision adopted by the administration of US President Donald Trump to designate Brazil's two main organized crime groups, the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) and the Comando Vermelho, as terrorist organizations. 'We will not accept the use of arbitrary measures from abroad as a pretext to attack our sovereignty and our economy,' the statement warned, while avoiding explicit re
Lula stated that the CCP and CV are terrorists for Brazilians, but "not in the way Trump wants," after suggesting cooperation against organized crime and extradition of Brazilians in the US.
Following the designation by the United States of Commando Vermelho (CV) and Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC), Brazil's most important criminal groups, such as terrorist organizations, President Lula da Silva's government issued a statement with strong...
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