LATAM POLITICS TODAY-Brazil police carry out more raids as part of Jan. 8 riots probe

The latest in Latin American politics today:

Brazil police carry out more raids as part of Jan. 8 riots probe SAO PAULO - Brazil's federal police said they were carrying out new raids as part of an investigation into the Jan. 8 riots in Brasilia, in which supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro stormed government buildings.

They were serving 16 preventive arrest warrants and 22 search and seizure warrants ordered by the Supreme Court in seven states and the federal district, where Brasilia is located, a statement said. Ecuador's Lasso vows to dissolve congress if it tries to impeach him -FT

Ecuador's President Guillermo Lasso said he would dissolve congress and call early elections if he does not muster enough support among legislators ahead of a potential impeachment hearing, the Financial Times said. The comments, in an interview with Lasso, come a day after lawyers representing him asked lawmakers to declare the impeachment hearing inadmissible, denying the accusations of embezzlement against him.

Kremlin says Brazil's Ukraine plan deserves attention, hasn't seen any proposal from France The Kremlin said Brazil's efforts to mediate in the conflict in Ukraine "deserved attention", but it had not seen any plans for a peace deal presented by France.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva drew criticism from the United States on Monday for his recent comments suggesting the West had been "encouraging" the conflict by arming Ukraine. He said Washington should stop sending weapons to Ukraine and start talking about peace. Paraguay opposition leader plans state 'austerity' vs tax hikes on farmers

ASUNCION - Paraguay's main opposition presidential candidate Efraín Alegre will favor "austerity" to cut public sector spending over raising taxes on the country's farmers if he wins the country's April 30 election, he told Reuters. Alegre, who leads the center-left Concertación Nacional coalition, is seen neck-and-neck in opinion polls with ruling party candidate Santiago Peña, who is looking to extend the conservative Colorado Party's political dominance.

Major Interpol-led LatAm arms swoop seizes thousands of weapons, $5.7 bln in drugs MEXICO CITY - Central and South American authorities have made 14,260 arrests and seized thousands of illegal weapons in a recent Interpol-led operation, the international police organization said, calling it their largest-ever firearms swoop.

"The fact that an operation targeting illicit firearms resulted in such massive drugs seizures is further proof, if needed, that these crimes are intertwined," Interpol Secretary General Juergen Stock said in a statement. The operation, which seized $5.7 billion worth of drugs and 8,263 illicit firearms, comes as Mexico appeals a civil lawsuit against U.S. gun manufacturers, seeking to hold them responsible for facilitating the trafficking of weapons across the border. (Compiled by Sarah Morland; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)

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