Property destruction: On 17 March 2025, in Caridade (Ceara), drug traffickers destroyed the infrastructure of internet companies by removing connection cables and destroying equipment boxes. The suspects escaped. The Red Command has been perpetrating attacks against internet companies in the area but the authorship of the event could not be confirmed.

Supply-chain Risk Briefing

1. Summary

On March 17, 2025, drug organizations destroyed internet infrastructure in Caridade, Ceará, Brazil. Criminals removed communication cables and destroyed equipment before fleeing, with potential links to Red Command's ongoing pattern of attacks against telecommunications companies. The current risk level is assessed as low, but there are concerns about regional telecommunications network stability.

2. Supply-chain impact

• Regional telecommunications infrastructure disruption: Internet service outages in the Caridade area have constrained digital-dependent industrial activities including e-commerce, digital payments, and remote work
• Northeast Brazil telecommunications network vulnerability: As telecommunications infrastructure in Northeast Brazil, including Ceará, becomes a target of organized crime, potential risks to regional corporate operations and logistics coordination increase
• Local business operational disruption: Potential temporary operational delays at local facilities of internet-dependent sectors including financial services, retail, and manufacturing
• Recovery costs and time: Service recovery delays due to telecommunications equipment replacement and cable reinstallation require time for regional economic activity recovery

3. Watch points

• Red Command activity expansion: Whether telecommunications infrastructure attacks spread to other areas within Ceará and changes in organized crime activity patterns across Northeast Brazil
• Brazilian government response: Security enhancement measures to protect telecommunications infrastructure, intensity of crime crackdowns, and trends in telecommunications companies' security investment expansion