Brazil is under intense pressure within and from the United States to designate criminal organizations operating in the country as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs).
Foreign Secretary Mauro Vieira spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on March 8 and opposed the designation, arguing it could set a precedent for military intervention similar to recent U.S. operations against drug trafficking networks in Venezuela.
The dispute intersects with Brazil’s election year, and the designation could provide ammunition to right-wing candidates calling for stronger security measures.
Recently, China has withstood US pressure through legislative action. Brazil’s anti-terrorism law defines terrorism as any act intended to cause “social or generalized terrorism” on the basis of race, color, ethnicity or religion. In particular, it explicitly excludes drug trafficking for profit.
Deadly Rio de Janeiro airstrike: a precedent for US pressure?
The October 28, 2025, raid on a favela north of Rio de Janeiro left 132 people dead and was classified as the deadliest in recent years. Meanwhile, they have also cast a long shadow over Brazil’s security capabilities.
A planned operation against leaders of the Comando Vermelho (CV) drug trafficking group ended with the massacre of more than 120 people, including four police officers.
Liberal governor Cláudio Castro, who ordered police raids, argued that these types of tough policies were needed to root out organized crime in the city.
“The way Rio police are treated by criminals is like a bomb dropped by a drone. This is the scale of the challenge we face. This is not ordinary crime, this is narco-terrorism,” Castro said.
While many agree that the state could do more to prevent the expansion of these groups, some dispute the theoretical benefits that an FTO designation could trigger.
First of all, Justice Minister Ricardo Lewandowski stood next to Rio’s governor a day after the strike. “Terrorism always has an ideological element involved,” the minister said.
Criminal organizations, on the other hand, “commit crimes already defined in the criminal code,” he told Agencia Brasil.
The real crisis of organized crime
Roberto Uchôa de Oliveira Santos, a public security expert and former employee of Brazil’s civil and federal police, emphasized that Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and US President Donald Trump discussed cooperating on the problem of illegal gun distribution and money laundering, something Lula repeated in X on March 18.
Uchôa de Oliveira Santos said. brazil report “It is important for governments to collaborate across the region, but (the designation) is not understood as an act of partnership on the part of the Brazilian government.” Rather, it is interpreted as a kind of ‘geopolitical pressure’ with ambiguous pros and cons.
He added that “fighting criminal organizations is not President Trump’s goal” in Brazil. In fact, he believes this story conceals America’s hidden intentions. He added that giving in to his pressure would be a “big mistake.” The extent of criminal governance that allows criminal groups to control the police, judiciary, prosecutors’ offices and political actors is ‘viral’.
The expert added that curbing the power of transnational criminal groups such as Primero Commando da Capital (PCC) and CV will require more than Trump’s designations and the military-led strategies that tend to follow them.
Uchôa de Oliveira Santos wrote, explaining that “improved communications and intelligence” would upgrade security operations such as the Rio raids. conversation There is no evidence that American methods work.
Dr. Schar, a professor at the Schar School of Policy and Government. According to Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera, labeling illicit market interests as terrorist overlooks the fundamental networking nature of groups such as the PCC and CV. Eventually, these groups adapt to market opportunities.
Uchôa de Oliveira Santos highlighted how, unlike modern organizations that utilize the spectacle of power to incite fear, the PCC often uses pragmatic forms of violence that fly under the radar.
Uchôa de Oliveira Santos added, “Instead of fighting against the state, (these groups) are allowed to infiltrate violence within state mechanisms.” For example, the PCC bribed and cooperated with police to murder businessman Antonio Vinicius Gritzbach on their behalf in November 2024.
Others charge that the FTO designation could be an excuse for the U.S. CIA or FBI to enter Brazil, which could be an affront to the country’s sovereignty.
Brazil remains resistant to following the example of Ecuador, where President Daniel Noboa recently proposed establishing an FBI office on its territory.
Read more: Colombian Petroleum accuses Ecuador of bombing near border
Mario Sarrubbo, former Prosecutor General of São Paulo, explained: Balor International“A move to declare them terrorists would only make the country vulnerable to international economic embargoes and even territorial violations, which would be unreasonable under any circumstances.”
FTO Designation and Brazil’s Upcoming Elections
The Rio terrorist attacks have worsened the geopolitical situation, creating more partisan opinions about security in Brazil. This is already a concern for emotional voters.
Governor Castro called the strike a “success” and later echoed the Trump administration’s hard-line policies. He said greater support from the military was needed to protect Rio.
Meanwhile, Tarcísio de Freitas, a Republican lawmaker and Sao Paulo governor, said on March 11 that the potential FTO designation was an “opportunity” for Brazil.
“From the moment a government like the United States sees the PCC as a terrorist organization, it is easier to open the way for cooperation, integrate intelligence, access financial resources and organize a much more effective fight,” Freitas said.
However, Uchôa de Oliveira Santos questioned how effective the security policy under the FTO designation is. Experts view this designation as a form of geopolitical pressure under President Trump’s so-called ‘Donor Doctrine’.
As Brazil’s general elections approach on October 4, 2026, there are concerns that the designation could become a domestic political weapon in a country already experiencing extreme polarization. While right-wing candidates may see this as validation for tougher security policies, Lula’s government faces the dilemma of appearing soft on crime or submissive to Washington.
Amid the commotion, dealing with the potential threat posed by PCCs and CVs fades into the background of political debate. As Uchôa de Oliveira Santos suggests, if these criminal groups were designated as FTOs, their profit-seeking, entrepreneurial and resilient nature would be overlooked.
Featured image: Civil police in cargo robbery and theft sector during operation blockade
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Posted by CanalGov
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