Brazil launches R$11 billion program to dismantle organized crime networks

The federal government has unveiled the "Brasil Contra o Crime Organizado" initiative, allocating roughly R$11 billion to combat the financial and logistical foundations of Brazil's organized‑crime factions. The plan calls for coordinated action among the Union, states and municipalities, emphasizing intelligence sharing, financial tracking, technology deployment and stronger forensic capacities to curb drug trafficking, illegal arms, money laundering and territorial domination by criminal groups.

Program coordinator and sociologist Benedito Mariano affirmed that the strategy targets the “upper tier” of criminal operations—financiers, political brokers and business networks—rather than relying solely on street‑level repression. The rollout comes amid heightened violence in the Northeast, especially in Ceará, where organized crime has expanded into ports and transit corridors, challenging public security across the country.