Hizbullah has deeply infiltrated Brazil's Lebanese diaspora community — one of the world's largest, estimated at 7–10 million people — and has turned the country into a key safe haven and financing hub, according to security officials and researchers. Brazilian federal police sources report a marked increase in identified Hizbullah members since Israeli strikes weakened the group in Lebanon, with hundreds of families reportedly relocating to São Paulo after the 2024 pager attacks. The militia is said to operate through the São Paulo district of Brás — a vast informal market — in close cooperation with Brazilian organised crime, Chinese smuggling networks, and the powerful PCC crime syndicate (Brazil's largest criminal organisation), running operations spanning cocaine trafficking, product piracy, and money laundering. Brazil has not designated Hizbullah as a terrorist organisation, making the issue a sensitive one for Brasília as Washington increasingly scrutinises the group's presence across Latin America.