Brazil's federal police have launched an operation targeting suspects sanctioned by the United States over alleged ties to the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) drug gang, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Friday.
Federal police did not identify the suspects but said in a statement that the operation aimed to dismantle a criminal group accused of laundering proceeds from international drug trafficking.
Earlier this week, the US Office of Foreign Assets Control added two Brazilian nationals to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List, alleging they had links to the PCC, one of Brazil's biggest criminal organisations.
The US designated PCC and rival gang Comando Vermelho (CV) as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) effective last month.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's administration has sought to avoid such designations, fearing they could eventually open the door to US military action or sanctions on banks that unknowingly do business with gang members.
The US sanctions also targeted three Brazilian entities, two of them in the financial sector, for their alleged links to one of the sanctioned individuals.