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Brazil and U.S. Launch 'Project MIT' to Disrupt Weapons and Drug Trafficking

The customs-led plan centers on real-time cargo data to spot illicit shipments before they reach Brazilian ports and airports.

Overview

  • Brazil's finance ministry announced Friday a Mutual Interdiction Team with U.S. Customs and Border Protection to fuse intelligence and coordinate interdictions.
  • The partnership links Brazil's Federal Revenue Service with CBP to share cargo data, with a focus on shipments leaving the United States for Brazil.
  • Officials rolled out DESARMA, a tool that alerts agencies in real time when parcels are tied to firearms, ammunition, explosives, or other sensitive items.
  • Over the past year, authorities logged 35 cases with 1,168 seized items weighing about 550 kilograms, often shipped from Florida using false labels and concealment.
  • The move fits the LulaTrump security agenda, with Brazil's G1 reporting the United States is weighing terrorist labels for PCC and Comando Vermelho that officials have not confirmed.