A task force of approximately 25 people and three aircraft assigned to the 1st Battalion, 228th Aviation Regiment, Joint Task Force Bravo (JTF-Bravo) returned to Honduras from Guatemala City, Guatemala, on November 28. Their return comes after the U.S. military personnel rapidly deployed to Guatemala City for a second time [ … ]
News
Peru Establishes Command to Counter Narcotrafficking, Terrorism in VRAEM
The Peruvian government has taken a new step toward pacifying the Apurímac, Ene, and Mantaro Rivers Valley (VRAEM, in Spanish), by creating a command combining the Peruvian Armed Forces and the National Police (PNP, in Spanish) to respond to narcotrafficking and terrorism in the vast region, the Ministry of Defense [ … ]
Colombian ELN Rebel Commander Killed in Military Operation
Commander Uriel, one of the main leaders of Colombia’s left-wing National Liberation Army (ELN) rebels, was killed during a military operation, President Iván Duque announced on October 25. “This is a particularly important blow [to the ELN] because one of the most visible figures of this terrorist organization has fallen,” [ … ]
US B-52H Train with Colombian Air Force, Ecuadorean Navy
Two U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress aircraft participated in Brother’s Shield, a Colombian Air Force-led exercise, and in UNITAS LXI, an Ecuadorean Navy-led exercise in U.S. Southern Command’s Area of Responsibility, November 8, 2020. This twofold mission began well before the B-52 crews took off that morning; there have been [ … ]
Four Ways USAID is Responding to Hurricanes Iota and Eta
On November 16, Hurricane Iota made landfall as a category 5 storm with sustained winds of nearly 155 mph. This comes just two weeks after Hurricane Eta brought heavy rains, severe flooding, and landslides to many of the same areas. An estimated 4.9 million people were affected by Hurricane Eta [ … ]
El Salvador Seizes 1.2 Tons of Cocaine in One Day
Salvadoran authorities seized 1.2 tons of cocaine during two simultaneous operations on October 12, 2020. It was the largest seizure in 10 years in the fight against international narcotrafficking, said Rogelio Rivas, Salvadoran minister of Justice and Public Security. “The Antinarcotics Division [...] and the National Civil Police have dealt [ … ]
Dominican Republic Seizes 1.7 Tons of Cocaine
The Dominican Republic’s security forces stepped up their operations to disrupt transnational criminal organizations. From September 16 to October 17, 2020, authorities seized more than 1.7 tons of cocaine in four operations led by the Dominican National Drug Control Directorate (DNCD, in Spanish), with the support of the Dominican Navy [ … ]
US, Colombian Armies begin PISAJ 14
U.S. Army South held an opening ceremony for the first virtual iteration of the semi-annual military-to-military engagement, Senior Noncommissioned Officers (NCOs) Integral Program (PISAJ, in Spanish), on November 9 at the Army South Headquarters. PISAJ is a U.S. Army South-hosted engagement between the U.S. and Colombian armies. This year, senior [ … ]
Nicaragua to Punish Anti-regime Opinions on Internet, Social Media
On October 23, 2020, the Nicaraguan National Assembly ruled in favor of a presidential bill declaring as cybercrimes any kind of public expression of ideas against the Daniel Ortega regime published on the internet and social media. With this Special Law on Cybercrimes, the National Police, the Telecommunications Institute, and [ … ]
Colombian Navy, Unrelenting Against Narcotrafficking in the Pacific and the Caribbean
The Colombian Navy seized 3.8 tons of narcotics in its territorial waters and shared information with partner nations to intercept 5 tons of drugs, in five operations carried out in the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, September 22-30. Units of the Buenaventura Coast Guard Station reported on September 30 [ … ]
Peru: Armed Forces, National Police Conduct Joint Operations Against Narcotrafficking
Peru’s Armed Forces and National Police (PNP, in Spanish) have joined efforts to combat narcotics and terrorism. The focus of the joint operations is the Apurímac, Ene, and Mantaro Rivers Valley (VRAEM, in Spanish), a region where about 70 percent of the local cocaine is produced. On October 14, service [ … ]
Paraguay Dismantles ‘VIP Marijuana’ Labs
In September, the Paraguayan National Anti-Drug Secretariat (SENAD, in Spanish) dismantled four urban clandestine labs that produced so-called “VIP marijuana,” the most expensive variety in the market. This is a new marijuana strain with high levels of THC, the main psychoactive substance in cannabis. “The network produced marijuana strains with [ … ]