US To Label Brazilian Drug Gangs As Foreign Terrorist Organizations

WASHINGTON, May 29 (dpa) -- The US State Department said on Thursday that it will designate two Brazilian drug gangs as foreign terrorist organizations early next month.

The gangs - Primeiro Comando da Capital, or PCC, and Comando Vermelho, or CV - "are two of the most violent criminal organizations in Brazil," the department said in a statement.

"Together, they command thousands of members and have orchestrated brutal attacks against Brazilian police officers, public officials, and civilians," it said.

The two groups will be considered foreign terrorist organizations as of June 5, according to the statement.

PCC is considered Brazil’s most powerful criminal organization and a key player in smuggling of cocaine from the Andean countries.

CV is also one of the country's largest criminal syndicates and is active in the drug trade. Police operations against the gangs regularly result in large numbers of deaths.

Brazil’s government had sought to prevent the groups from being designated as terrorist organizations, arguing that under Brazilian law they do not pursue political or ideological goals.

The government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva fears that such a designation could give the US a legal basis for tougher measures, potentially including operations on Brazilian territory.

The move broadens the administration of US President Donald Trump’s strategy of treating Latin American cartels and gangs as terrorist groups.

Several drug gangs have recently been designated as foreign terrorist organizations, including Venezuela's Tren de Aragua, Mexico's Gulf Cartel and Ecuador's Los Lobos and Los Choneros.

NNN-dpa