Borderland Battles, Maduro and the ELN’s Co-dependency
After almost two years of inter-guerrilla conflict between the National Liberation Army (ELN) and factions of the former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), Colombia and Venezuela’s borderlands remain war-torn and an epicenter of the drug trade in the Americas. Inconsistencies in official data for Venezuela’s drug seizures in 2022 [ … ]
Argentina’s Military Women Make Headway in Antarctic Bases
The appointment of Argentine Army Major Vanesa Pía as head of the Carlini Base, one of the South American country’s six permanent bases in Antarctica, once again highlights the commitment of the Argentine Armed Forces to gender integration. Maj. Pía is the first military woman to command a unit on [ … ]
China’s Police Operates Around the World
According to the report from Spain-based human rights group Safeguard Defenders Patrol and Persuade, Beijing established at least 102 undercover Chinese police stations in 53 countries to monitor and force its exiled citizens, mainly dissidents, to return to China to face charges. “Everything indicates that the work [of the stations] [ … ]
Jamaica Fights Crime with US Help
The Jamaican government, with the support of the United States, is seeking to identify criminals who orchestrate crimes in the country despite residing abroad. Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness made the announcement in December 2022, stating that he considered this a key point in his strategy to combat crime and [ … ]
Chile and Bolivia Seize 690 Tons of Chemical Precursors from China
Agents of the Investigative Brigade of Controlled Chemical Substances (BRISUQ) of Chile’s Investigative Police (PDI) and Chile’s Customs Service concluded 2022 with an unprecedented seizure at the Port of Arica. The seizure consisted of dozens of containers with more than 690 tons of chemical precursors used for the manufacture of [ … ]
China’s Rampant Illegal Fishing Is Endangering the Environment and the Global Economy
If the term "illegal fishing" conjures images of small numbers of scattered vessels independently pirating the sea's resources, think again. The problem of Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing stems increasingly from state-supported deep water fishing fleets, including massive trawlers accompanied by sustainment vessels, freezer, and transport vessels. Operating continuously [ … ]
Peru Wages War on the Tren de Aragua
The Peruvian National Police (PNP) has been dealing a forceful and systematic blow to the Tren de Aragua, Venezuela’s most powerful transnational criminal organization, and a threat to security in the region. The criminal group that originated in Venezuela’s Aragua state claims Tocorón prison, in Aragua, as its headquarters, where [ … ]
1st Security Force Assistance Brigade Advisors Exchange Best Practices with Honduran Military
U.S. Army advisors assigned to 4th Battalion, 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade (SFAB) facilitated an information exchange on the U.S. Army’s Artillery targeting process with Honduran military counterparts on October 31, 2022. The information exchange was designed to improve interoperability between the two militaries. Such exchanges are part of the [ … ]
Peru Makes Headway in the Fight Against Wildlife Trafficking
Peru became the first country in South America to expressly recognize wildlife trafficking as part of a law against organized crime, said Oceana Peru, a branch of the international organization for ocean conservation. “The approval of the November [2022] initiative, which had been under discussion since 2018, is an important [ … ]
Nicaragua Strengthens Alliance with Russian Media
The Daniel Ortega-Rosario Murillo regime of Nicaragua, through the Communication and Citizenship Council (CCC), made up of the country’s state-owned media, signed a memorandum of understanding with Russian state media outlet RT en Español to “exchange” information, Nicaragua’s state-owned news site El 19 Digital reported in December 2022. “There is [ … ]
Colombia’s Naval School Gets International Recognition
The International Association of Maritime Universities (IAMU) recently recognized the Colombian Navy’s Almirante Padilla Naval Cadet School (ENAP) as a high-quality accredited university that meets the highest academic standards, welcoming it as a new member. IAMU is a global network of leading maritime universities with international members dedicated to human [ … ]
China’s Network of Ports Grows in Latin America
According to a late 2022 study by the U.S.-based national security and defense think tank Center for a Secure Free Society (SFS), the number of Chinese-owned or operated ports worldwide has increased considerably. China’s foothold in some 40 ports in Latin America from Peru to Mexico, combined with 11 satellite [ … ]
