US Treasury targets Brazil's top drug gang with sanctions

U.S. Treasury on Wednesday imposed sanctions on people and businesses connected to drug trafficking gangs, including biggest criminal organization in Brazil, known as PCC.

move stems from new authority designated under an executive order from President Joe Biden “to target any foreign person engaged in drug trafficking activities, regardless of wher y are linked to a specific kingpin or cartel,” Treasury said in a statement.

PCC is one of 10 individuals and 15 entities targeted in four countries, including China's Shanghai Fast-Fine Chemicals and Mexico's Los Rojos criminal group, among ors. People and companies linked to targets could be stopped from using U.S. financial system, said Brian Nelson, Treasury undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence.

“We will continue working closely with our partners to reduce threats from se groups and disrupt ir business models,” Nelson was quoted as saying in statement.

PCC was founded in prisons of wealthy Sao Paulo state and remains dominant re. It has expanded its reach into or Brazilian states, plus elsewhere in South America and abro.

Security experts in Brazil say PCC's leership sees violence as a hindrance to ir business model in major cities, but are open to using when y feel it is needed.

That has been case many times in neighboring Paraguay, a country that is key for PCC's routes for smuggling cocaine and marijuana. Brazilian gang has been involved in multiple killings in border towns in recent years as it seeks to seize complete control.

latest violent incident in region linked to PCC came in October, with four people killed by dozens of shots in Paraguayan city of Pedro Juan Caballero. One of m was daughter local governor. Local police said at time Brazilian gang was involved.

PCC is “ most powerful organized crime group in Brazil and among most powerful in world,” Treasury's statement said. It “has forged a bloody path to dominance through drug trafficking, as well as money laundering, extortion, murder-for-hire, and drug debt collection.”

Brazil's foreign ministry did not reply to an emailed request from Associated Press seeking comment on U.S. action.