U.S. to designate Brazil's PCC and CV gangs as terrorist organizations

The Trump administration moved Thursday to classify two of Brazil's largest drug gangs as foreign terrorist organizations.

The State Department said it is designating Comando Vermelho, also known as Red Command or CV, and Primeiro Comando da Capital, or PCC, as Specially Designated Global Terrorists. It intends to add both groups to the list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations effective June 5, 2026.

The two syndicates together have more than 50,000 members, according to The Associated Press. The department said the groups are among the most violent criminal organizations in Brazil and have carried out attacks on police officers, public officials and civilians. Their networks extend across the region and into the United States, the statement said.

The administration said it will use all available tools to keep illicit drugs off American streets and disrupt revenue streams that fund violent narco-terrorists.

The designations follow a meeting in Washington between conservative Brazilian Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro and President Donald Trump. The 45-year-old senator, who is seeking the presidency, said he asked Trump to label the groups as terrorist organizations.

Brazil's presidential election is scheduled for October. Supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro have pushed for the U.S. action to highlight what they call public security failures under current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who is running for re-election.

Lula's government opposes the move and says the gangs are criminal enterprises, not ideologically driven terrorist groups.

Brazilian authorities this week launched a financial crackdown on fraud and money-laundering networks tied to the PCC. Prosecutors said the probe uncovered billions of reais moved through fintech firms and shell companies. Last year, officials seized 1.2 billion reais, about $220 million, in assets linked to a PCC-connected network that had infiltrated the fuel industry.