Banks
Marco Rubio sanctions two Brazilian gangs, freezing their money
Secretary of State Marco Rubio used Executive Order 13224 to designate Primeiro Comando da Capital and Comando Vermelho. Banks, payment firms and other U.S. businesses now have to block exposed transactions right away.
The designation puts the two Brazilian gangs on the U.S. terrorism sanctions list and can cut off money flows tied to them. Under the order, U.S. firms must screen for exposure and treat covered dealings as blocked.
- Two Brazilian gangs are now on the U.S. terrorism sanctions list.
- U.S. blocking rules can freeze money tied to the groups.
- Banks and payment firms have to screen for exposure immediately.
- The notice says no prior warning was needed before the freeze took effect.
- In Washington, the State Department has designated Primeiro Comando da Capital and Comando Vermelho as specially designated global terrorists under Executive Order 13224, as amended
In Washington, the State Department has designated Primeiro Comando da Capital and Comando Vermelho as specially designated global terrorists under Executive Order 13224, as amended. For banks, payment companies and other businesses, that means dealings tied to the two Brazilian gangs can now be treated as blocked transactions under U.S. sanctions law.
The practical effect is immediate: money linked to the groups can be frozen, routed payments can stall and compliance teams have to screen for exposure right away. The notice says no prior warning is needed before the blocking measures take effect, because letting people move funds first would make the order useless.
How the freeze works
The designation is not a criminal charge, and it is not a battlefield move. It is a financial cutoff. Once a person or company lands on this kind of list, U.S. persons are generally barred from doing business with them, and institutions that touch the flow of money have to watch for risk that might not have been obvious a day earlier.
That matters far beyond Brazil because the U.S. financial system is still the choke point for a lot of cross-border business. If a bank, fintech, or intermediary finds itself with an account, transfer or customer connected to either group, the cost is no longer just reputational. It can become a sanctions problem.
The names behind the order
Primeiro Comando da Capital is also known as PCC and First Capital Command. Comando Vermelho is also known as Red Command. The notice says both are foreign persons who have committed, attempted, posed a significant risk of committing, or trained to commit acts of terrorism that threaten U.S. nationals or U.S. national security, foreign policy or the economy.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed the determination May 28, 2026, and it was published in the Federal Register on June 5, 2026. For the people who move money, clear transactions or police sanctions exposure, that date is the point when the warning became real.