Brazil May Join US Drug Fight If Flávio Bolsonaro Wins

Brazil could step in to help the U.S.-led fight against drug cartels if Flávio Bolsonaro wins the Oct. 25 runoff election, his brother Eduardo Bolsonaro claims. The plan is called Shield of the Americas and aims to boost security cooperation across the Western Hemisphere. It involves sharing intelligence, coordinating military moves, and taking joint action to stop cartel money flows. This push follows a February 2025 move by the Trump administration to label eight big criminal groups as both Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists. The list includes Tren de Aragua, MS-13, the Sinaloa Cartel, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, the Northeast Cartel, the Gulf Cartel, La Nueva Familia Michoacana, and Carteles Unidos.

"The main thing that we need to do is fight the cartels," Eduardo Bolsonaro told Fox News Digital. "They work together in a lot of countries, so we should fight back then." Brazil has not joined the initiative under left-wing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Eduardo said his brother's conservative Liberal Party victory would bring Brazil into cooperation with the Trump administration to tackle powerful criminal organizations. He added that under President Trump and Shield of the Americas, there is a chance for the first time to work together against these groups.

The presidential runoff pits Flávio Bolsonaro against Lula after Bolsonaro led him in the first round. He wants closer security ties with the United States and other conservative governments nearby. Adding Brazil would expand the coalition's reach into South America, where gangs like Primeiro Comando da Capital and Comando Vermelho have grown into major players in the regional drug trade. Other nations already involved include Argentina, El Salvador, Peru, Ecuador, Panama, Paraguay, and Chile, according to the State Department.

The broader goals focus on stopping drug trafficking, cutting off criminal financing, and strengthening bonds between law enforcement and military officials across borders. U.S. officials have long linked cartel activity to fentanyl and other illicit drugs flooding into America. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., has also blamed hundreds of thousands of American deaths on cartel-linked overdoses.