US to designate two Brazilian gangs as terrorist' organisations

The United States intends to designate two Brazilian criminal networks, Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) and Comando Vermelho, as terrorist organizations. The Foreign Terrorist Organization label will take effect on June 5, while the groups have already been classified as Specially Designated Global Terrorists under authority drawn from the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). The designations block access to US assets, with the foreign terrorist label described as more restrictive. The measures are framed as necessary to protect US citizens by keeping illicit drugs off US streets and disrupting revenue streams that fund violent narco-terrorists. The move follows broader efforts to apply terrorist designations to Latin American criminal networks, drawing criticism as a pretext for expanding US military influence.

"The United States has announced its intention to designate two Brazilian gangs as terrorist organisations, continuing a push under President Donald Trump to blur the distinction between criminal and terrorist activity. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday that the designations would target the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) and the Comando Vermelho, the two largest criminal networks in Brazil."

"The Foreign Terrorist Organization label will be effective starting June 5. In the meantime, Rubio explained that they had already been assigned to the category of Specially Designated Global Terrorists, a similar category that draws its authority from the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). Both designations block the groups' access to US assets, though the foreign terrorist label is considered to be more restrictive."

"Rubio said the measures were necessary to ensure the safety of US citizens. The Trump Administration will continue to use all available tools to protect our nation and our national security interests by keeping illicit drugs off our streets and disrupting the revenue streams funding violent narco-terrorists, Rubio said in a statement."

"Since returning to the White House for a second term, Trump has sought terrorist designations for multiple Latin American criminal networks. The efforts have been criticised as a pretext to expand US military influence across the Western Hemisphere, as part of Trump's Donroe Doctrine, his spin on the 19th-century expansionist policy known as the Monroe Doctrine."

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