US classifies PCC and Comando Vermelho as terrorist organizations
The United States government, under the Trump administration, has officially designated Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) and Comando Vermelho as foreign terrorist organizations. The measure, announced by the State Department, allows for tougher financial sanctions, asset freezes, and greater international cooperation in combating these factions, which control much of the drug trafficking and violence in Brazil.
- The United States Department of State announced today the official designation of Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) and Comando Vermelho as foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs). The decision, taken on the direct order of President Donald Trump, represents a historic hardening of the American stance against Brazilian organized crime. The classification allows the US to freeze assets, impose financial sanctions, prohibit commercial transactions, and intensify cooperation with Brazilian and other countries' authorities to dismantle the structures of these factions.
- Both organizations are responsible for thousands of deaths, control of favelas, international drug trafficking, and attacks on public institutions in Brazil. “The PCC and Comando Vermelho are no longer just criminal gangs. They are terrorist organizations that threaten hemispheric security,” stated a senior State Department official. The measure was celebrated by sectors of the Brazilian opposition, who for years have denounced the Lula government's inaction in the face of the advance of these factions. Flávio Bolsonaro, who recently visited the White House, celebrated the decision: “Finally, the United States recognizes what we have always said: the PCC and Comando Vermelho are terrorists. It is the first step towards a real fight.” The designation occurs amidst a serious security crisis in Brazil, with record assassinations, expansion of the territorial control of the factions, and infiltration into various sectors of society, including alleged money laundering schemes involving public figures.
- The Lula government has not yet officially commented on the American decision. However, sources at Itamaraty (the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs) indicate discomfort with the measure, which could complicate diplomatic and economic relations. The FTO classification is the same status given to groups such as Al-Qaeda, ISIS, and Hezbollah, which facilitates more aggressive judicial and operational actions against members and collaborators of these factions in American territory and in allied countries.
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