U.S. Designates Brazilian Crime Groups PCC and CV as Terrorist Organizations

The United States government announced on Thursday the designation of Brazil’s two largest organized crime groups, the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) and the Comando Vermelho (CV), as terrorist organizations. Both groups originated in Brazilian prisons and have expanded across the country and internationally, engaging in drug trafficking, arms trafficking and extortion.

The designation provides U.S. authorities with additional legal tools to target the groups’ finances, members and operations. According to the announcement, the PCC and CV control significant portions of Brazilian cities and have been linked to violence that has resulted in numerous deaths.

Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva responded on Friday, stating that the groups “are not the type of terrorists that President Trump is looking for” and contrasting them with figures such as Osama bin Laden. Lula said he had met with Trump earlier this month for three hours and had provided documents on fighting organized crime during that meeting.

The United States and Brazil signed an agreement in April aimed at combating arms and drug trafficking. Brazil has also enacted an anti-gang law that raises maximum prison sentences for organized crime to 80 years.

The U.S. announcement referenced prior Brazilian actions and noted that the groups’ activities extend beyond Brazil’s borders. No publicly released evidence in the announcement detailed specific recent plots inside the United States tied to the designations.

The Brazilian foreign ministry had not commented as of Friday on the precise legal implications of the U.S. terrorist designation for bilateral cooperation.