Treasury Sanctions Brazilian Criminal Network Exploiting U.S. Financial System to Launder Drug Proceeds

WASHINGTON—Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated two Brazilian nationals, three Brazilian companies, and one Portuguese company for their links to Latin America’s largest criminal gang, Brazil-based Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC). PCC represents a significant threat to U.S. national security, as its operatives throughout the United States, particularly in Florida, launder drug proceeds and contribute to a cycle of criminality. PCC is now the largest transnational criminal organization (TCO) in the Western Hemisphere, and in recent years has expanded its operations globally, with significant presence in countries such as the United Kingdom, Turkey, and Japan. In the United States, PCC represents a real and growing criminal threat.