Is the Alleged Brazil Coup Plot ‘Organized Crime’?

One of the biggest debates in the study of organized crime is how to define it. 

We confronted that issue recently when Brazil’s Federal Police made global headlines on November 21, lodging a formal accusation against ex-President Jair Bolsonaro and others, alleging they formed a criminal organization that aimed to stage a coup to prevent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva from taking office in 2022.

The alleged coup plot – which follows a related case in which five were arrested for planning to assassinate Lula – never came to fruition. But the bombshell accusations raised the question of whether we should cover the story as organized crime.

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Our coverage adheres to a clear and specific definition of organized crime. A criminal organization, for us, is a “group of people that associate on a regular and prolonged basis to benefit from illicit activities and illegal markets.” 

Although the formal accusation against Bolsonaro and 36 conspirators describes a “criminal organization” accused of planning a coup, this case falls outside of our definition. 

The evidence currently available presents two key issues. First, the group accused of planning the coup appears to have met only to plan this singular crime, casting doubt on the idea of “regular and prolonged” association. Second, and more importantly, the alleged motivations for the coup were political, rather than to generate profit from “illegal markets.” 

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We have reported on Brazilian politicians accused of participating in organized crime in the past – including Bolsonaro and the current president, Lula. But in those other cases, the activities included an economic element tied to illicit gain. 

Bolsonaro, for example, faced accusations of participating in a “rachadinha” scheme, which extorted public employees. Lula was convicted of money laundering and accepting bribes between 2003 and 2011, though the ruling was later annulled.

Our credibility is built on focus. We specialize in reporting on organized crime in Latin America and the Caribbean, staying grounded in our expertise and avoiding areas beyond our mandate. We stick to what we know. This consistency ensures our reporting remains focused and aligned with the expertise we have developed over the years.

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