President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva launched a federal pilot program to expand coordination with state and municipal authorities in Rio de Janeiro to fight organized crime ahead of October's presidential election. The plan emphasizes intelligence sharing, coordinated policing and inspections along major logistics corridors to curb cargo theft, arms and drug trafficking and to dismantle criminal financial networks. It complements a wider $2 billion anti-crime package announced in May and comes amid criticism from political rivals and debate over a recent U.S. designation of two Brazilian gangs as terrorist organizations.
Lula Launches Federal Pilot To Crack Down On Organized Crime In Rio Ahead Of October Vote
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva arrives for a ceremony to announce a new security plan to combat organized crime in Rio de Janeiro, Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)(AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Friday unveiled a federal pilot plan to expand the national government's role in combating organized crime in Rio de Janeiro, underscoring public safety as a central issue ahead of October's presidential election.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva speaks during a ceremony to announce a new security plan to combat organized crime in Rio de Janeiro, Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)(AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)
What the Plan Proposes
The initiative broadens existing joint operations among federal, state and municipal authorities along Rio's main highways and in selected urban territories. Key measures include increased intelligence sharing, coordinated policing and sustained inspections targeting cargo theft, weapons and drug trafficking, and the financial networks that support criminal groups.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, center, talks with the Rio de Janeiro's Gov. Ricardo Couto, right, and Brazil's Justice Minister Wellington Lima e Silva during a ceremony to announce a new security plan to combat organized crime in Rio de Janeiro, Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)(AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)
"This is a new beginning to create a new template for public security in this country," Lula said. "God wanted us to begin with Rio de Janeiro, because if it works in Rio, it will work across the country."
Context And Criticism
The plan follows growing political pressure over public security. Senator Flávio Bolsonaro — a leading rival and son of former President Jair Bolsonaro — and U.S. President Donald Trump have accused Lula of not doing enough to confront powerful criminal organizations that control large urban areas and remote regions such as parts of the Amazon.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva poses for photos during a ceremony to announce a new security plan to combat organized crime in Rio de Janeiro, Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)(AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)
Lula defended the move by noting that, since Brazil's 1988 Constitution, most public-security responsibilities have rested with state governments — a division he said his administration intends to rebalance by strengthening federal support and coordination.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, center, arrives for a ceremony to announce a new security plan to combat organized crimes in Rio de Janeiro, Friday, Sept. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)(AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)
Some observers say the initiative was accelerated after Rio's deadliest police operation last year, when more than 120 people were killed, an episode that boosted then-Governor Claudio Castro's approval and drew intense public debate about tactics and accountability.
In May, Lula announced a separate, broader $2 billion anti-organized-crime program aimed at disrupting arms trafficking, dismantling criminal financial networks, improving homicide investigations and investing in the prison system. The pilot program in Rio is presented as an immediate, testable step within that wider strategy.
U.S. Terror Listing And Political Fallout
On Friday, Lula reiterated his criticism of the U.S. decision earlier this year to designate the First Command of the Capital (PCC) and the Red Command (CV) as foreign terrorist organizations. He argued those groups primarily pursue profit rather than political ends and therefore should not be characterized as terrorist movements — a claim some analysts say reflects concerns that the U.S. designation could influence Brazil's election by framing Lula as weak on crime.
Officials say the pilot will prioritize disrupting criminal logistics and finance chains while testing federal-state operational models that could be scaled nationwide if successful.
What to watch next: Implementation details, metrics for success, and how state authorities and civil-society groups respond — particularly on use-of-force and accountability — will shape public acceptance and the initiative's potential to be replicated elsewhere in Brazil.
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