Brazil adopts new anti-gang law allowing seized crypto to finance security forces

Brazil has enacted a new anti-gang statute that lets authorities use confiscated cryptocurrency to bolster public security funding. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed Law No. 15.358 on March 25. Under the measure, courts may order the freezing, seizure, and liquidation of digital assets linked to organized crime with judicial authorization, even before a criminal conviction. Proceeds from seized crypto are earmarked for police equipment, training, and special operations. The law also creates incentives for cooperation: informants who help locate assets can receive up to 5% of the recovered value. The initiative is aimed at Brazil's most powerful criminal organizations, including Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) and Comando Vermelho, which authorities say have increasingly used crypto for money laundering, illegal mining, and cross-border transfers.