US Frames Drug Cartels as Targets, Raising Brazil Sovereignty Concerns

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told a summit in Panama on August 12, 2026, that traffickers from US-designated groups are 'a target just like ISIS or Al-Qaeda,' without naming any Brazilian organization. Weeks earlier, Washington had listed Brazil's PCC and Comando Vermelho as terrorist groups, a move Brazil rejected and warned could open the door to military action on its soil.