Brazil's Bolsonaro Family Seeks US Military Intervention Against Drug Trafficking in Rio

Brazilian senator Flavio Bolsonaro, son of former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro, publicly called on the United States to conduct bombing operations on vessels in Rio de Janeiro's waters to combat drug trafficking operations, similar to actions taken by US forces in the Caribbean and Pacific regions.

The United States has deployed stealth aircraft and naval vessels in Caribbean waters as part of its counter-narcotics campaign, resulting in the destruction of nine vessels and 37 fatalities, according to official US statistics.

The Trump administration claims these targeted vessels were engaged in narcotics transportation, though substantiating evidence has not been publicly disclosed. Family members of some victims maintain these individuals were merely fishermen with no connections to drug trafficking.

On social media platform X, Flavio Bolsonaro expressed his "envy" in response to a post from Pentagon official Pete Hegseth that featured footage showing a boat being struck by a missile and subsequently engulfed in flames.

"I heard there are boats like this here in Rio de Janeiro, in Guanabara Bay, flooding Brazil with drugs. Wouldn't you like to spend a few months here helping us fight these terrorist organizations?" Bolsonaro wrote.

Last week, Donald Trump revealed he had authorized covert CIA operations against Venezuela and was considering strikes targeting alleged drug cartels on land.

These US military actions, which resulted in at least one Colombian casualty, have severely damaged diplomatic relations between Washington and Bogota, drawing fierce criticism from Colombia's leftist President Gustavo Petro.

Petro condemned Trump's approach, stating he was "carrying out extrajudicial executions" that "violate international law" by targeting suspected drug trafficking vessels.

The United States has not provided evidence supporting its assertions that these maritime targets were involved in drug smuggling operations. Legal experts maintain that such summary killings remain illegal under international law even if the targets were confirmed narcotics traffickers.

The Bolsonaro family has maintained strong ties with Trump. The former Brazilian president received a 27-year prison sentence last month related to an alleged coup attempt, which Trump characterized as a "witch hunt" against his political ally.

Eduardo Bolsonaro, another son of the former president, actively advocated for Washington to impose punitive economic measures against Brazil and sanctions targeting high-ranking officials.

Despite these tensions, relations between Brasilia and Washington have shown signs of improvement recently, with discussions of a potential meeting between Trump and leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at an upcoming summit in Malaysia this weekend.