By Waldaniel Amadis | 2023-09-18

SÃO PAULO -- A report from the Brazilian Intelligence Agency (ABIN) highlights that Brazil's substantial illicit drug consumption, coupled with its status as a key drug trafficking conduit to Europe and Africa, has drawn the attention of Mexican drug cartels.

A document, previously classified as "reserved" and partially declassified, which ABIN forwarded to Entorno, reveals that two Mexican cartels with operations in South America are now viewing Brazil not just as a launching pad for drug trafficking routes but also as an appealing market in itself.

The ABIN report, initially compiled in 2018 and presently almost fully declassified under the Access to Information Law, sheds light on how Mexican cartels, grappling with their own domestic battles, have turned their attention to Brazil.

This shift is primarily driven by Brazil's elevated levels of drug consumption and the opportunities it presents for drug trafficking.

As per the report, the two major Mexican cartels are actively looking to extend their influence in Brazil, and the key drivers behind this expansion include two critical factors.

First, the "intense combat" against organized crime within Mexico has compelled these cartels to shift their focus towards exporting their operations abroad.

Second, Brazil is deemed an essential arena "for drug consumption and transit," further accentuating its significance as a target for their expansion efforts.

"Renowned for their extreme brutality, which ranks them among the world's most dangerous criminal organizations, Mexican cartels persist in broadening their reach across nations involved in drug production, consumption, and transit, including Brazil," the document asserts.

Escalating levels of violence

ABIN had particular apprehension regarding the Nueva Generación (CJNG) and Sinaloa cartels; the former arose years ago from a Sinaloa splinter faction.

The report was crafted during the period when these two criminal organizations were affiliated with a faction of the First Capital Command (PCC) in Brazil. The PCC, regarded as the country's largest criminal group, originated within São Paulo's prisons in the 1990s.

ABIN felt particular concern over the possibility of CJNG establishing a foothold in Brazil, primarily because of one distinctive characteristic of the cartel: it has an extreme propensity for violence, against rival factions and security forces both.

Through this ruthlessness, the cartel has expanded its dominion, stretching from the Pacific coast to the Gulf of Mexico.

"Beyond drug trafficking, [CJNG] has diversified its criminal activities to encompass extortion, kidnappings, vehicle theft, and arms trafficking. Furthermore, the cartel has developed expertise in providing money laundering services in offshore tax havens, catering not only to other criminal factions but also to business entities," stated ABIN.

Official alert issued for Brazil

In January 2022, Veja magazine disclosed that Brazilian authorities had received warnings from their Mexican counterparts regarding the PCC's establishment of "tangible connections" with the CJNG and Sinaloa cartels.

The PCC's connection with Mexican cartels was initiated by Gilberto Aparecido dos Santos, known as Fuminho, who served as the right-hand man to PCC leader Marco Wilians Herbas Camacho, also known as "Marcola." Marcola has been incarcerated for many years and in 2023 was transferred to a maximum-security prison in Brasília.

As reported by the weekly outlet, the Mexican authorities communicated these actions to the Brazilian Embassy in 2018.

Fuminho was apprehended in Mozambique in 2020, subsequently extradited, and is incarcerated at the high-security Catanduvas prison in Paraná state, Brazil.

The objectives and ramifications of the alliance between the PCC and the two cartels are under investigation by both ABIN and the Federal Police, as verified by a law enforcement source consulted by Entorno.

According to the source, Mexican cartels have not established a physical presence within Brazilian territory. Nonetheless, their interactions with the PCC have facilitated various commercial transactions, money laundering collaborations and the opening of new channels for drug transportation.

Brazilian ports have emerged as pivotal nodes in the global cocaine trade network. Collaborations with Mexican cartels and the Italian 'Ndrangheta mafia have streamlined the inflow of cocaine into Europe, where it is subsequently distributed to criminal organizations, according to InSight Crime report in January 2022.

Furthermore, these connections have facilitated illicit transactions with criminal groups operating in West Africa.