The First Capital Command (PCC, in Portuguese), the largest organized crime and narcotrafficking group in Brazil, suffered another loss. On January 9, 2021, the country’s National Police arrested a drug dealer, considered to be the PCC’s main leader in Paraguay. Giovanni Barbosa da Silva, aka Bonitão or the PCC’s Joker, [ … ]
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Colombia Launches New Elite Force Against Narcotrafficking and Rebel Groups
Colombian President Iván Duque launched the Command Against Drug Trafficking and Transnational Threats (CONAT, in Spanish), an elite force of 7,000 Army service members, men and women, to strengthen offensive actions against these scourges, at the Tolemaida Military Fort in Tolima department, the Colombian presidency told the press on February [ … ]
Brazil: Security Forces Seize More than 4 Tons of Marijuana
The Brazilian Federal Highway Police (PRF, in Portuguese) and Federal Police (PF, in Portuguese) seized more than 4 tons of marijuana during two operations. On January 22, 2021, the PRF seized 2,560 kilograms of marijuana in Marechal Cândido Rondon, in the western region of Paraná state. The drug was hidden [ … ]
Brazil: Security Forces Dismantle Group Operating as Criminal Franchise
On February 5, the Brazilian Federal Police (PF, in Portuguese) and the Mato Grosso Civil Police dismantled a criminal group that trafficked drugs and laundered money in various Brazilian states. During Operation Parasite, agents executed 34 arrest, search, and seizure warrants, seized property and vehicles, and froze $2.2 million in [ … ]
US, Ecuador Seize More than 2.4 Tons of Drugs
U.S. and Ecuadorian law enforcement forces joined capabilities to seize 2,439 kilograms of drugs bound for Europe and North America, in operations carried out January 16-21, 2021. On January 21, the Ecuadorian Navy said on Facebook that in a coordinated operation, the U.S. Coast Guard handed over two Ecuadorian citizens [ … ]
Colombia Disrupts Drug Trafficking, Destroys Labs
The Colombian Armed Forces reported the interception and seizure of three vessels loaded with drugs, the destruction of 13 coca base paste labs, and the discovery of an open marijuana warehouse, in various areas of the country, January 15-22. On January 22, in the Guainía department, 25 kilometers off the [ … ]
Bolivian Forces Seize More than Half-Ton of Cocaine
The Bolivian Special Force against Drug Trafficking (FELCN, in Spanish) seized more than half a ton of cocaine and captured 11 people in three operations in the Cochabamba and Beni departments, the institution reported on Facebook. On January 23, the FELCN announced the results of two operations in Chapare province [ … ]
Colombian Navy Seizes Cocaine, Solid Chemical Precursors in Two Operations
The fight against narcotrafficking continues for the Colombian Navy, which in late January seized half a ton of cocaine in the Caribbean coast of Colombia and more than 5 tons of solid chemical precursors for its production on the Amazon River. During a combined operation by the Colombian Navy and [ … ]
Colombia Captures Alias Mariachi, Link to Mexican Cartels in Colombia and Ecuador
The Colombian National Police, in coordination with the Ecuadorian Anti-Narcotics Police, reported the capture of Ecuadorian national Alex Fernando Izquierdo, alias Mariachi, at Antioquia International Airport on January 22. Izquierdo engaged in transnational drug trafficking and money laundering for the Mexican cartel Jalisco New Generation. “Through the exchange of information [ … ]
Brazilian Federal Highway Police Seizes Large Quantity of Marijuana
The Paraná Federal Police (PRF, in Portuguese) has intensified operations to combat narcotrafficking, resulting in the seizure of about 146 tons of marijuana — a historic record for the state institution — in 2020. This work continues to deliver significant results into early 2021. On January 6, PRF agents and [ … ]
US, Guatemala Sign Cooperation Agreement
The U.S. Embassy in Guatemala, through the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), delivered an aid package to the Prosecutor’s Office for Drug Crimes, under the Guatemalan Office of the Attorney General, to strengthen actions against narcotrafficking, on February 3, 2021. The donation consists of tactical, technological, [ … ]
Colombia Captures 181 Clan del Golfo Members
On January 4, 2021, the Colombian National Police reported the results of a macro-operation against the criminal group Clan del Golfo, carried out between December 30, 2020, and January 2, 2021, which led to the capture of 181 people. Operation Agamemnon, which consisted of three simultaneous operations, was carried out [ … ]