Brazilian federal police have launched a major operation targeting individuals who were recently placed on a U.S. sanctions list due to alleged ties to the Primeiro Comando da Capital, known as the PCC, one of Brazil’s largest criminal organizations. Two sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed the operation to Reuters on Friday.
While federal police declined to name the specific suspects involved, officials released a statement saying the operation was aimed at breaking up a criminal network accused of washing money generated through international drug trafficking.
Earlier this week, the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control added two Brazilian citizens to its Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List, citing their alleged connections to the PCC. In addition to the two individuals, three Brazilian entities — two of them operating in the financial sector — were also sanctioned due to their alleged ties to one of those individuals.
The designations come after the United States officially classified both the PCC and its rival gang, Comando Vermelho, as Foreign Terrorist Organizations last month.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s administration had previously pushed back against such classifications, expressing concern that terrorist designations could eventually pave the way for U.S. military involvement or financial penalties against banks that unknowingly conduct business with gang members.
