Brazil says Lula and Trump agree to boost joint efforts against organised crime

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his US counterpart Donald Trump have agreed in a phone call to intensify cooperation in the fight against organised crime, the Brazilian presidency said.

Lula phoned Trump on Tuesday after the two men in October held their first official meeting, ushering in improved ties after months of growing animosity between Brasilia and Washington.

During the 40-minute conversation, Lula said greater co-operation was needed between the two countries to fight organised crime, the presidency said in a statement.

The conversation comes amid tensions over US strikes on alleged drug traffickers near the Venezuelan coast, which have killed at least 83 people since early September.

Lula highlighted recent police operations in Brazil aimed at financially suffocating organised crime that had identified branches of criminal groups operating from abroad.

Trump "expressed complete willingness to work with Brazil" in fighting these organisations, said the statement.

Brazilian authorities have recently carried out several operations against one of the country's largest crime groups, the First Capital Command (PCC).

Investigators revealed that the crime group was laundering huge amounts of money through gas stations that was then moved into digital banks and payment apps.

In Rio de Janeiro, police have stepped up operations against another major criminal faction, Comando Vermelho, or the Red Command, one of which left 122 people dead in October.

The two criminal groups control cocaine trafficking in Brazil, with a reach spreading across Latin America and, in the case of the PCC, to Europe.

Brazil's finance minister said last week that the country would seek US cooperation in fighting organised crime in its fuel sector, after a police operation flagged money laundering by Delaware-based firms to help one of the worst tax dodgers in the South American country.

Trade tariffs

Lula and Trump also discussed trade tariffs.

After a flurry of negotiations, Washington last month removed a punitive 40-percent tariff placed on some Brazilian goods, including meat, coffee and fruit.

Trump imposed the additional tariff in response to the trial of his ally, far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup.

Lula said the removal of the tariff was "very positive" but other products are still impacted and need to be discussed.

"Brazil wants to move quickly in these negotiations," Lula stressed to Trump, according to the statement.

The two presidents agreed to speak again soon.