World

Brazil to target betting, tobacco sectors in new anti-organized crime operations, source says

By Reuters Reuters
People walk past graffiti reading "PCC", referring to Brazilian drug gang Primeiro Comando da Capital, after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a policy to designate "PCC" and Comando Vermelho "CV" as foreign "terrorist organizations", in Sao Paulo, Brazil, May 31, 2026. REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli
People walk past graffiti reading "PCC", referring to Brazilian drug gang Primeiro Comando da Capital, after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a policy to designate "PCC" and Comando Vermelho "CV" as foreign "terrorist organizations", in Sao Paulo, Brazil, May 31, 2026. REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli Amanda Perobelli Reuters

BRASILIA - Brazil's government is in the final stages of preparations to launch operations targeting organized crime in the online betting and tobacco sectors, a senior government official with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

The move follows a strategy to choke off criminal organizations financially, said the source, adding that the plan would not change after the United States decided to designate the country's two biggest gangs as terrorist organizations.

(Reporting by Bernardo Caram; Writing by Gabriel Araujo)

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect.

This story was originally published June 1, 2026 at 12:29 PM.

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