A study by Esfera Brasil shows that organized crime has infiltrated large sectors of the economy, such as mining, the furniture market, fuel trade and public transport, and is increasingly affecting Brazilian economic growth.
“These organizations no longer only operate in illegal businesses, they have expanded. Today they explore markets for legal activities to launder money or to hide proceeds from crimes committed in other sectors”, explains criminal lawyer Pierpaolo Bottini, who was a consultant for the study.
The research “Public Security and Organized Crime in Brazil”, released this Tuesday (25), in partnership with the Brazilian Public Security Forum, reveals that criminal organizations can earn around R$335 billion just from the illegal flow of cocaine in Brazil, equivalent to 4% of the country’s GDP.
The researchers identified at least 21 legal and illegal activities with illicit flows that pass through Brazilian regions, which may originate or end in countries in South America, North America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania.
The x-ray highlights the presence of 72 criminal factions in the country, including two transnational ones. The PCC would be present in 23 states, with great influence on the borders with Paraguay and Bolivia. Comando Vermelho would have members in 20 states, with greater activity in the North and Northeast of Brazil.
The survey also points out that, despite the country having more than 1,500 public security institutions, there is little coordination between them, which makes data integration and, therefore, the fight against organized crime difficult.
Pierpaolo Bottini states that, to confront criminal organizations, it is necessary to understand how they work and the origin of their resources. According to the lawyer, this is not possible in a fragmented manner. “The states hold public security data, but they are little shared with the Union. There is no standard for statistics and information.”
Proposed solutions
Based on the research results, Esfera and FBSP present solutions to public authorities to combat organized crime. See the main ones:
- Approve the draft General Data Protection Law of Public Security Interest to organize the management and sharing of data and avoid legal uncertainty that affects criminal investigations;
- Creation of a committee to combat organized crime with members from the ministries of Justice, Finance, Civil House, Comptroller General of the Union and Attorney General of the Union;
- Strengthening the Financial Activities Control Council, Coaf, and allocating the resources obtained by the body from taxes and fines for additions to technology and employees;
- Regulation of cryptoassets;
- Regulation of the betting sector.
“The information system and combating money laundering must be regulated. We need to go beyond arrest and direct repression and identify where the money from organized crime is, to prevent organizations from refinancing themselves”, comments Bottini.
According to the study’s consultant, the sectors in which changes were proposed must be regulated so that entities always communicate with the public authorities when they identify an act suspected of financial crime.
“It is necessary to strengthen anti-money laundering bodies, such as Coaf, to regulate and organize information to prevent these organizations from feeding each other back, paying their soldiers and public servants who contribute to their operation”, he adds.
Source: CNN Brasil

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