{"text":[[{"start":7.4,"text":"The US will designate two Brazilian drug cartels as foreign terrorist organisations, threatening to reawaken tensions between Donald Trump and his counterpart Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva as the leftwinger prepares for a re-election campaign."}],[{"start":22.85,"text":"Secretary of state Marco Rubio said on Thursday that the move against the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) and Comando Vermelho (CV), the largest organised crime syndicates in Brazil, would go into effect on June 5. "}],[{"start":38.7,"text":"“Together, they command thousands of members and have orchestrated brutal attacks against Brazilian police officers, public officials, and civilians,” Rubio said in a statement. “Their influence and illicit networks extend far beyond Brazil’s borders, across our region and into our country.” "}],[{"start":56.400000000000006,"text":"The Lula government had resisted the measure, arguing that the groups do not pursue ideological aims and that the designation could lead to US military intervention in Brazil."}],[{"start":68.2,"text":"Combating Latin American narcotics gangs has become a focus of Trump’s foreign policy during his second term, leading to the bombing of alleged drug-trafficking vessels in the region’s waters and the capture of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro in Caracas. "}],[{"start":82.9,"text":"Lula’s top foreign policy adviser, Celso Amorim, said: “Organised crime is an evil that must be combated. International cooperation is welcome, especially on issues such as money laundering and arms smuggling. Any pretext for intervention is unacceptable.”"}],[{"start":99.4,"text":"The development follows a visit to Washington this week by the eldest son of Brazil’s jailed former president Jair Bolsonaro, who will stand against Lula in the October ballot. "}],[{"start":110.35000000000001,"text":"Flávio Bolsonaro said he had requested the terrorist designation for the cartels in a meeting with Trump in the Oval Office on Tuesday. "}],[{"start":119.30000000000001,"text":"While Washington had been considering the move for at least a year, the timing will deliver a boost to the 45-year-old senator who takes a hard line on law and order. "}],[{"start":128.95000000000002,"text":"He was chosen as candidate by his father, a hard-right populist and Trump ally, after the elder Bolsonaro was found guilty last year for plotting a coup to remain in power following an election defeat to Lula in 2022."}],[{"start":142.60000000000002,"text":"A diplomatic crisis erupted last year after the US president imposed punishing tariffs on Brazil in a bid to keep Bolsonaro out of jail. While a rapprochement between the administrations had been under way, as evidenced by Lula’s visit to Washington earlier this month, Thursday’s move could jeopardise that progress."}],[{"start":160.90000000000003,"text":"The foreign terrorist organisation label makes it an offence for people in the US or subject to US jurisdiction to knowingly provide “material support” to the organisation."}],[{"start":171.25000000000003,"text":"“These actions change the US legal risk exposure for every multinational and bank connected to Brazil,” said Jeremy Paner, a partner at law firm Hughes Hubbard & Reed."}],[{"start":182.05000000000004,"text":"Rubio’s announcement immediately designated the groups as specially designated global terrorists, making them subject to sanctions under the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control. "}],[{"start":192.50000000000003,"text":"The PCC, founded as a prisoners’ self-protection gang in early-1990s São Paulo, has expanded into a sprawling criminal conglomerate with tentacles in the formal economy and a growing international presence."}],[{"start":205.90000000000003,"text":"It has infiltrated fuel distribution and launders money through fintechs, according to Brazilian law enforcement agents, who describe it as one of South America’s main suppliers of cocaine to Europe. The PCC has also begun making inroads in the US, officials from both countries have said."}],[{"start":222.80000000000004,"text":"The CV, originally from Rio de Janeiro, has also spread across Brazil and like its São Paulo rival operates cocaine smuggling routes from Andean nations. A military-style crackdown targeting the CV in Rio favelas, or shantytowns, left more than 120 people dead last year."}],[{"start":248.75000000000006,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1780025744_1681.mp3"}