Brazil launches nationwide police operation against organized crime in 16 states

Brazilian law‑enforcement agencies carried out a coordinated crackdown, Operação Força Integrada III, across 16 states. The Forças Integradas de Combate ao Crime Organizado (FICCOs) executed 274 judicial mandates, including roughly 180 search and seizure orders and 93 arrests of suspected members of criminal factions. Operations targeted drug trafficking, illegal arms, money‑laundering and other organized‑crime activities and were named locally – e.g., Zip Lock in Amapá/Pará, Contenção in Piauí, and Matriarca in Rio Grande do Norte. The campaigns involved the Federal Police, state police, civil police, military police, prison police and other agencies, with about 100 officers taking part in some states. Assets seized included firearms, ammunition, large drug caches, cash and electronic equipment. The actions are part of a broader effort to dismantle the logistical and financial networks of Brazil’s organized‑crime groups.