‘A Simple Approach’: Analysts Say Regional Cooperation Is Crucial in Illegal Fishing Battle
This article was originally published on the U.S. Africa Command’s Magazine ADF, on November 6, 2025. Africa loses an estimated $11.2 billion in annual revenue to illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. The challenge is particularly acute in West Africa, which loses up to $9.4 billion to the scourge. Illegal [ … ]
Brazil Tracks Evolving Routes for Illegal Amazon Gold
Brazilian authorities say criminal networks involved in illegal mining are adapting their logistics to move gold extracted in the Amazon across international borders, increasingly using the northern state of Roraima as a transit corridor to neighbor countries. For years, one of the most visible fronts of illegal mining in Brazil [ … ]
Minister Ábrego on Panama’s Role in Regional Security and Counter-Narco-Terrorism Efforts
Under the leadership of Minister of Public Security Frank Ábrego, Panama has strengthened its role as a key partner in regional security. The country has intensified efforts to combat drug trafficking, curb irregular migration through the Darién region, and safeguard strategic infrastructure such as the Panama Canal. These efforts have [ … ]
How AI and Advanced Technology Fortified Latin American Criminal Groups
Latin American criminal networks are consolidating power through the strategic application of artificial intelligence (AI), a shift profoundly transforming their activities and increasing their profitability. This evolution represents more than a simple adoption of new tools for illicit purposes; it signifies a structural metamorphosis. Operating within an increasingly automated, fragmented [ … ]
Ecuador Steps Up Fight Against Narco-Terrorism Through Regional Cooperation
Ecuador’s campaign against narco-terrorism has entered a new phase as authorities intensify operations against transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) responsible for drug trafficking, violence, and corruption across the region. Security forces have expanded coordinated operations against major criminal groups, strengthened maritime surveillance along key trafficking routes, and deepened cooperation with international [ … ]
Ecuador at the Crossroads of Transnational Crime: Violence, Criminal Reconfiguration, and Regional Challenges – PART II
For decades, Ecuador was perceived as an exception in a region plagued by drug trafficking, armed violence, and criminal capture of the state. While neighboring countries faced open wars between cartels and state forces, Ecuador seemed to remain on the sidelines of these dynamics. That image began to slowly crack [ … ]
Iranian Military Branch Casts Shadow Across Africa
This article was originally published on U.S. Africa Command magazine ADF, on March 11, 2026. As foreign powers sign business deals and deepen diplomatic ties in Africa, one foreign player operates mostly behind the scenes: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). “The IRGC, the regime’s military-intelligence empire, has spent [ … ]
How Latin American Criminal Groups Infiltrate the Legal Economy
Following a model pioneered by European mafias — most notably the Italian 'Ndrangheta — major Latin American criminal organizations have begun a systemic infiltration of the legal economy. Moving beyond traditional shadow operations, these groups acquire companies, investing in heavy industry, and seizing control of entire agricultural and production chains. [ … ]
Peru vs. Illegal Mining: Dismantling Criminal Networks through Strategic Alliances
Illegal mining has consolidated into a critical challenge for Peru’s national security and territorial sovereignty. Beyond its devastating environmental impact, this phenomenon also fuels criminal economies, incites violence, and erodes the country’s institutional foundations. In response to this growing complexity, the Peruvian government has intensified its crackdown, intervening across the [ … ]
Paraguay Consolidates Its Role as a Strategic Partner in the Region
Army Colonel Lorenzo Agustín Cabrera Burgos is a senior officer in the Paraguayan Armed Forces with extensive experience in international operations, military education, and multinational cooperation. A graduate of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the United Kingdom, he has developed a career marked by operational leadership and institutional strengthening, [ … ]
