Prosecutor Lincoln Gakiya, one of the main experts in the fight against the PCC in Brazil, told CNN that the United States’ decision to classify the Primeiro Comando do Capital (PCC) and the Comando Vermelho (CV) as terrorist organizations could have implications for Brazilian sovereignty and hinder existing international cooperation mechanisms.
According to Gakiya, the classification means that the issue is no longer treated primarily as a “police” matter and is now seen as a matter of national defense by the United States.
“When there is this classification, the State Department starts to deal with the issue as a matter of ‘defence’ and no longer as a matter of ‘police’ and, therefore, the CIA and the Military begin to have responsibility for this, leaving the sphere of the FBI and the DEA for example,” he told CNN.
In the prosecutor’s assessment, the change could open space for operations conducted under the logic of American national security.
“It can generate the possibility of carrying out secret military operations without the consent of the foreign governmentfor example one along the lines of those made in Mexico and Venezuela, which could imply risks to the environment,” he said.
Gakiya also stated that the exchange of information between Brazilian and American authorities could face new obstacles.
“In practice too, this direct exchange of information that already occurs between the PF and the American Police or between the MPs and the police can be made difficult because the information is now classified as confidential or secret and could hardly be shared with the agility and ease that it already has today,” he stated.
The prosecutor is part of the Special Action Group to Combat Organized Crime (Gaeco) of the Public Ministry of São Paulo and is considered one of the PCC’s main investigators. In recent years, he was the target of assassination plots attributed to the faction and began to live under tight security.
The United States announced this Thursday (28) the classification of as terrorist organizations, a measure that expands instruments of sanctions and international action against criminal groups.
