The US has significantly escalated its military operations against Brazil's designated terrorist drug gangs, with Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducting multiple strikes in recent months. According to latest reports, Secretary of Defense Hegseth announced a seventeenth strike on November 6 against a vessel "operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization" in the Caribbean, killing three "male narco-terrorists" aboard. Earlier operations included strikes on November 9 and November 15 in the eastern Pacific Ocean, where six suspected drug traffickers were killed across two vessels. The strikes target vessels "operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations" that intelligence confirms are involved in illicit narcotics smuggling and transiting known narco-trafficking routes.
The US State Department announced the designation of Brazil's two most powerful criminal syndicates as foreign terrorist organisations on Thursday. According to the State Department, the Comando Vermelho (Red Command) and Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) are now officially classified as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) and Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs). The designations impose onerous sanctions on the gangs and their members, block them from keeping their assets in the United States or freeze assets already in the country, and make it illegal for American citizens to offer material support to them. The designations will become effective on June 5, marking a significant escalation in US anti-drug trafficking efforts in Latin America.
The two criminal organisations likely have more than 50,000 members combined, according to experts cited by Business Standard. The State Department explained that together, they command thousands of members and have orchestrated brutal attacks against Brazilian police officers, public officials, and civilians. The PCC and CV represent Brazil's two largest drug trafficking gangs, making this designation particularly significant for regional security. The classification allows for enhanced US law enforcement and military action against these criminal networks operating in Brazil, with their influence and illicit networks extending far beyond Brazil's borders.
The designation comes as Brazil prepares for its presidential election in October 2026. According to Business Standard, supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro have called for this designation as they target President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's public security policies. The move is part of a broader strategy by Trump's administration to combat drug trafficking in the Western Hemisphere through military activity and aggressive enforcement measures. Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, a handpicked heir of the former president, recently revealed after meeting with Trump that he had requested the U.S. government consider designating the two gangs terrorist groups, stating he came to "emphatically ask President Trump to designate the PCC and Comando Vermelho as foreign terrorist organizations as soon as possible."
The military operations have sparked significant international criticism, with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot stating that "We have observed with concern the military operations in the Caribbean region, because they violate international law and because France has a presence in this region through its overseas territories, where more than a million of our compatriots reside." EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas reportedly said the strikes could only be justified as self-defense or by a UN Security Council resolution. Colombian President Gustavo Petro accused the US of killing a Colombian fisherman in a mid-September strike and threatened to suspend all communications with US security agencies. Multiple reports suggest that Chairman Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Ranking Member Jack Reed (D-RI) have requested copies of Trump's orders and the Department of Justice's legal justification for the strikes, claiming the documents have not been submitted to date.
