SAO PAULO (AP) — The U.S. State Department announced it will designate two Brazilian criminal groups as foreign terrorist organizations on Thursday, a move that President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has repeatedly said he will interpret as interference favoring his rival, Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, in October's presidential elections.
Ahead of elections, supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro and of his presidential hopeful son have called for the designation for the two gangs — First Command of the Capital, or PCC, and Red Command, or CV — as they accuse Lula of not fighting those groups effectively.
Both groups likely have more than 50,000 members combined, according to experts, who also say most of their connections are in Europe rather than in North America.
Designating criminal cartels in Latin America as foreign terrorist organizations is a strategy that Trump’s administration has used as it turns to military activity and other aggressive steps to combat drug trafficking in the Western Hemisphere, notably carrying out a campaign of deadly boat strikes against those it calls “narcoterrorists” in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean.
“CV and PCC are two of the most violent criminal organizations in Brazil. Together, they command thousands of members and have orchestrated brutal attacks against Brazilian police officers, public officials, and civilians,” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement. “Their influence and illicit networks extend far beyond Brazil’s borders, across our region and into our country.”
“Today’s action taken 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,” he added. The designation goes into effect on June 5. Until then, both groups will be referenced as specially designated global terrorists.
Brazil reaction
Lula, who is seeking reelection and is trying to boost his anti-crime credentials, has openly opposed labeling criminals as terrorists, while Bolsonaro’s supporters in Congress have publicly urged Trump to hit harder on the gangs.
Earlier Thursday, Brazilian prosecutors launched a mega-operation to dismantle fraud, money laundering and tax evasion, in the latest phase of an investigation targeting criminal gangs like the PCC and CV.
Lula's special adviser for foreign affairs and former foreign minister Celso Amorim was the first to publicly comment on Rubio's announcement.
“Public security is a key topic for social economic development. Organized crime is an evil that must be fought. International cooperation is welcome, especially in matters of money laundering and arms trade. (But) pretext for intervention is unacceptable,” Amorim said.
Public security will likely be a wedge issue in Brazil’s presidential elections, when Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, a handpicked heir of the former president, faces off against Lula. The 71-year-old Jair Bolsonaro cannot run as he is serving his 27-year prison sentence for leading a coup attempt.
Experts have said neither Jair Bolsonaro nor Lula was hugely successful in fighting the two criminal groups, although Brazil’s federal police and prosecutors have conducted several raids against them in recent years. Authorities scored a major win against the PCC in August by dismantling part of its money laundering network that included gas stations, perfume shops and even a financial services company based in one of Sao Paulo’s main arteries.
Brazil’s federal police said then that their operation, known as Hidden Carbon, found companies linked to the PCC laundering at least 6 billion reals ($1.1 billion) in recent years.
Political analyst Thomas Traumann says Rubio's move is about “the Trump administration trying to meddle in the election after a request by Flávio Bolsonaro during his trip to Washington.”
“Flávio Bolsonaro's campaign was hit by his problematic businesses with a corrupted banker, he came to the Trump administration to ask for some help and he got this one,” Traumann said. “Lula's best moment in the polls was after Trump imposed tariffs against Brazil and he revived a narrative on national sovereignty. It is likely he will do it again.”
Brazil's president did not respond a request for comment from The Associated Press. Sen. Bolsonaro is yet to comment on the decision.
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