The largest mafia in Latin America is taking advantage of Portugal’s periphery position and the great presence of Brazilians to settle in the country, and is already recruiting Portuguese members in the arrests.
The first command of the capital (CCP), the most powerful criminal organization in Latin America, is settling significantly in Portugal and will have already recruited national citizens, warned Lincoln Gakiya, prosecutor of São Paulo, in an interview with.
With more than two decades of experience in combating the group, Gakiya considers that the country has become one of the strategic European bases For the CCP, especially due to its geographical position and the strong presence of the Brazilian community.
“Portugal is today One of the entry doors of cocaine South American in Europe, ”says the prosecutor. According to Gakiya, the common language and the ease of integration of the Brazilian community facilitate the infiltration and operation of the group in the country. Drug trafficking is the main activity of the CCP, but the prosecutor warns that the organization imposes its presence using armed violence.
According to data recently revealed by Gakiya, Portugal is the European country where more members of the CCP – about 87 identified elements, of which 29 have already been arrested. However, the prosecutor sees this number with concern, suggesting that the group has been Recruit Portuguese in prisons national. “There are already Portuguese who are effectively members of this organization,” he says.
Despite the severity of the situation, Gakiya revealed that it has not yet been contacted by the Portuguese authorities, underlining the International cooperation urgency to lock the group’s growth outside Brazil. “It’s very worrying and Portugal must be very careful. The Portuguese police have to prepare,” he said.
A PCC Expansion Out of the Brazilian territory has accelerated: a year ago, the group had about 1200 members abroad, a number that now exceeds 2000. This “internationalization” worries the Brazilian authorities, who consider the CCP an authentic mafia with well -defined structure and objectives.
O PCC originated in the arrests of São Pauloin 1992, when prisoners organized themselves to demand better conditions after the Carandiru massacre. Since then, it has evolved into a transnational criminal network with tentacles on several continents. The group has already been associated with in Portugal and Portuguese to launder money from drug trafficking.
