Lula assures Trump he is willing to strengthen cooperation to 'combat international organized crime'

Donald Trump and his Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, expressed their willingness to cooperate in the fight against organized crime during a telephone conversation on Tuesday, according to the Brazilian presidency.

During the exchange, Lula said he had a very productive dialogue with the president, focused on the trade and economic agenda, but also on "the urgency of strengthening cooperation with [the] United States to combat international organized crime."

According to the Brazilian president, Trump "highlighted his full willingness to work together with Brazil and assured that he will give his full support to joint initiatives between the two countries to confront these criminal organizations."

Anti-crime operations

In his call with Trump, Lula reviewed recent operations his government carried out in Brazil to "suffocate" criminal organizations "financially," and mentioned ramifications operating from abroad.

The Brazilian president's government has deployed several operations in recent months against money laundering and activities against major criminal organizations in Brazil, such as the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC).

In August, police dismantled a gigantic money laundering scheme, run by the PCC, which operated in the fuel production chain and allegedly laundered almost $10 billion between 2020 and 2024.

No mention of Venezuela

During a press conference in Johannesburg, at the end of the G20, Lula had expressed his concern over the U.S. military presence in the Caribbean, and said he intended to discuss it with Trump.

"I am very concerned about the military apparatus that the United States has deployed in the Caribbean Sea. I am very concerned. And I intend to talk to President Trump about this, because it worries me," Lula emphasized.

However, there was no mention of Venezuela in the Brazilian presidency's statement on Tuesday's phone call. The two leaders agreed to speak again "shortly" about joint anti-crime initiatives.