Brazil’s Lula ramps up federal push against organized crime in Rio ahead of crucial election

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva introduced a pilot plan on Friday to increase the federal government's involvement in combating organized crime in Rio de Janeiro. The announcement came as a significant issue ahead of the October presidential election. The initiative targets key highways and specific territories within Rio, emphasizing improved intelligence sharing, coordinated policing, and joint inspections.

Opposition figures, including Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro and U.S. President Donald Trump, have criticized Lula for not doing enough to curb organized crime groups that dominate parts of Rio and remote regions like the Amazon. Lula defended his actions, stating that if the pilot plan succeeds in Rio, it could serve as a model for security policies nationwide.

Lula acknowledged that most public security responsibilities have traditionally been managed by state governments since the 1988 Constitution. He emphasized his administration's intention to rectify this oversight. Some analysts suggest that Lula's government intensified its fight against organized crime following a deadly police operation in Rio last year, which resulted in over 120 deaths. Polls conducted after the incident indicated an uptick in support for then-Gov. Claudio Castro and his deadly raid.

In May, Lula unveiled a $2 billion anti-organized crime project aimed at tackling weapons trafficking, undermining criminal organizations' finances, enhancing homicide investigation quality, and investing in Brazil's prison system. On Friday, Lula dismissed Trump's decision to label the First Command of the Capital (PCC) and the Red Command (CV) as foreign terrorist organizations, arguing that these groups profit rather than seek political change.

Some politicians and analysts contend that Trump's classification of these groups aims to influence Brazil's crucial election by portraying Lula as lenient on crime.