As of this Friday (5), the First Capital Command (PCC) and the Red Command (CV) will officially join the list of foreign terrorist organizations in the United States.
The measure represents a relevant change in the way Washington will be able to act against the two factions, but experts estimate that its practical effects will depend on the ability to reach the financial networks that support the groups.
The decision was announced by the US State Department last week and places the two largest Brazilian criminal organizations under the same legal framework used against international terrorist groups.
In practice, the main change does not occur in police operations carried out in Brazilian territory, but in the financial, judicial and diplomatic tools that are now available to American authorities.
With the classification coming into force, the American government will be able to block assets, freeze accounts and restrict financial transactions linked to the factions or to people and companies considered collaborators of the groups.
Sanctions can also target individuals or organizations that provide material, financial or logistical support to factions, directly or indirectly.
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The framework also allows the opening of investigations using more aggressive legal mechanisms, traditionally used in cases of terrorism and transnational organized crime.
Furthermore, American authorities are now finding it easier to share information with other countries and pressure international financial institutions to expand their monitoring of suspicious transactions.
The challenge is to reach the money
Public security experts consulted by the InfoMoney point out that the main objective of the measure is to increase pressure on the financial flows of criminal organizations.
Both PCC and Comando Vermelho operate complex money laundering structures that involve shell companies, financial operators, third-party accounts and international movements.
The classification as terrorist organizations increases the cost for banks, fintechs and commercial partners that eventually maintain relationships with people or companies linked to the groups. The expected effect is to make it difficult for factions to access the formal financial system.
Despite the potential impact, experts emphasize that the decision does not mean that the groups will instantly lose their operational capacity.
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The factions maintain their main base of activity in Brazil, where they continue to be legally classified as criminal organizations and not as terrorist groups.
The Brazilian government has already informed the United States that it does not intend to change its legislation to adopt a similar classification.
Planalto’s official position is that the PCC and Comando Vermelho have economic and territorial motivation, without ideological, religious or political objectives, criteria required by the Brazilian Anti-Terrorism Law.
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Therefore, the actions of national security forces will continue to be based on existing legal instruments.
Banks and companies enter the radar
One of the most immediate effects may appear in the financial sector. Institutions that operate with the American banking system tend to reinforce compliance and monitoring mechanisms to avoid any exposure to operations linked to groups.
The fear is that international partners will adopt stricter controls on movements originating in Brazil or related to sectors considered vulnerable to money laundering.
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In extreme cases, companies or individuals associated with factions may face financial blocks, commercial restrictions and difficulties operating in markets that use the American financial system.
