Robinson Barreirinhas, the Brazilian special secretary of the Federal Revenue Service, revealed Friday that authorities seized more than 1,100 weapons from the US in the last 12 months.
The information was released following an announcement that the government and US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) launched a landmark cooperation agreement to dismantle the logistical and financial backbones of transnational organized crime.
The partnership, which began live digital operations Friday, establishes a system for the instantaneous sharing of intelligence on customs seizures in both nations. The goal is to allow investigators to swiftly identify patterns, transit routes and clandestine links between senders and recipients of illicit goods.
The agreement stems from recent conversations between President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and US President Donald Trump. The pact is a cornerstone of a broader bilateral agenda designed to combat organized crime at its source, according to Brazilian Acting Finance Minister Dario Durigan.
"This is a significant step following the conversation between Lula and Trump," Durigan stated during a meeting at the Finance Ministry. "By facilitating this qualified information sharing, both countries are better positioned to carry out coordinated actions, not just at the destination, but at the very source of illicit cargo."
The urgency of the pact is underscored by a staggering increase in contraband intercepted at the border. Barreirinhas revealed that in the first quarter of 2026, customs officials intercepted more than 1.5 tons of narcotics.
"It is necessary to combat the financial backbone of organized crime," he said, noting that the new digital system will provide a much-needed tactical advantage against the increasing flow of American-made weaponry into Brazil.
Starting Friday, every seizure made at a US port destined for Brazil, or vice versa, will trigger a real-time notification to the counterpart agency.
The level of integration is expected to drastically reduce the reaction time for law enforcement agencies, allowing for "controlled deliveries" and the apprehension of high-level criminal leadership involved in the arms-for-drugs trade that spans the two hemispheres.
