Colombia and Panama, with the support of the United States, increased their efforts to secure their common border through international cooperation. The Darién region, historically plagued by illicit activities, represents major challenges for the authorities of these countries. Transnational criminal groups commit crimes that include drug, arms, and human trafficking, as well as smuggling, and money laundering.
Since early 2023, through an initiative led by the United States, a trilateral meeting mechanism was established to propose strategies, program operations, implement capabilities and other tools to address the crimes in the Darién region and help the impacted communities. In mid-2023, Panamanian forces launched an initiative to combat transnational crime in the area with the cooperation of Colombia and the United States with security and intelligence teams.
In early February 2024, U.S. Army General Laura J. Richardson, commander of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), visited the Darién Gap with Panama’s Minister of Public Security Juan Pino to see Panama’s latest efforts to face transnational crimes, address the humanitarian crisis in the area, and deepen U.S. support.
On the Colombian side, according to information from the Observatory for Human Rights and National Defense, law enforcement, in coordination with Panamanian authorities and U.S. support, struck a blow to transnational crime with the capture of 98 members of different criminal organizations between August 7, 2022 and March 12, 2024. Among those captured were 35 members of the Clan del Golfo, three members of the National Liberation Army, two members of the La Local criminal group, and 12 drug traffickers with no particular affiliation.
Authorities also neutralized two members of the Clan del Golfo during operations and seized more than 8 tons of cocaine, 12,484 kilograms of coca leaf, and 23 kg of marijuana in the Darién region.
In addition, authorities detained Colombian citizens under INTERPOL red notices for crimes related to human trafficking and conspiracy to commit crimes, thanks to international collaboration. In the course of 2024, two arrests, requested by Spanish authorities, were made under INTERPOL red notices (one Venezuelan and one Colombian), for human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation and drug trafficking.
“Although we have made progress in the fight against these threats, we continue to face highly complex security situations, so it is important to continue to understand the causes of insecurity, so that through interinstitutional work we can create comprehensive solutions to these problems,” Colombian Minister of Defense Iván Velásquez said during the fourth binational meeting held at the headquarters of the Panama’s Ministry of Security in mid-January.
“I have always said it and I reaffirm it, unilaterally it is very difficult to fight the phenomenon that we currently have transnationally, but jointly and combined, as we are doing, is the efficient and effective way to fight,” Minister Pino said during this binational meeting. “Colombia and Panama are an example for the region of the united, bilateral way of fighting organized crime, often crossing borders, without letting the enemy get out of hand,” he concluded.