The United States, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is providing $100,000 to support the response of the government of Colombia to assist people affected by Hurricane Iota. On November 16, 2020, the powerful Category 5 storm passed over Colombia’s Providencia, San Andrés, and Santa Catalina islands, where [ … ]
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US Air Force Transports Colombian Troops Supporting Hurricane Relief
A U.S. Air Force C-130 transported 68 Colombian Army soldiers to the Colombian island of San Andrés on November 23, to support post-Hurricane Iota lifesaving and disaster-relief operations in the nearby Colombian island of Providencia. The plane transported the troops from Cartagena, Colombia, along with 40,000 pounds of food and [ … ]
United States Assistance to Guatemala during Tropical Storm Eta
The United States provided humanitarian assistance to Guatemala in the aftermath of tropical storm Eta, serving approximately 310,000 Guatemalans in 25 communities affected by Tropical Storm Eta in nine departments (Quiché, Petén, Izabal, Zacapa, Chiquimula, Alta Verapaz, Jutiapa, El Progreso, and Santa Rosa). The assistance included 23 rescues, 39 evacuations, more [ … ]
JTF-Bravo Resumes Support Operations in Honduras and Guatemala
Only days after supporting Central American countries, following the devastation caused by Hurricane Eta, teams of U.S. Southern Command’s (SOUTHCOM) Joint Task Force Bravo (JTF-Bravo) are back in Honduras and Guatemala to provide assistance to areas affected by Hurricane Iota. Both hurricanes hit Central America within two weeks, causing landslides [ … ]
Bolivia Seizes Nearly 453 Tons of Drugs in the Last 11 Months
From November 13, 2019 to October 12, 2020, the Bolivian Special Force to Fight Drug Trafficking (FELCN, in Spanish) seized more than 14.1 tons of cocaine and 438.6 tons of marijuana, totaling 452.7 tons of drugs. The FELCN made the announcement in a press release on October 13. During numerous [ … ]
Colombian, Ecuadorean Navies Seize Drugs and Capture Narcotraffickers
The Ecuadorean Navy reported the result of an operation achieved through binational collaboration, after the Colombian Navy provided intelligence to carry out the interdiction of a suspicious speedboat in the Pacific Ocean. “A total of 1,157 brick-type packages, each with 1,000 grams of controlled substances, a vessel, three engines, and [ … ]
Central America: USAID Sends Aid to Countries Devastated by Hurricanes Eta and Iota
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) deployed a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) to respond to the destruction caused by two consecutive hurricanes in Central America. Hurricane Iota made landfall in Nicaragua on November 17 with winds of 250 km/h, less than two weeks after Tropical Storm Eta [ … ]
Colombia Extends Hand to Honduras Following Hurricane Eta
In response to a request from Honduras, as a member of the System of Cooperation Among the American Air Forces, the Colombian government deployed a Colombian Air Force (FAC, in Spanish) C-130 Hercules aircraft to deliver humanitarian aid to Honduras, to help the people affected by Hurricane Eta, which struck [ … ]
Paraguay Carries Out Record Cocaine Seizure
The largest cocaine seizure in Paraguay’s history took place on the night of October 19, when authorities found almost 3 tons of cocaine hidden in a charcoal shipment at a private port in the city of Villeta, 30 kilometers from Asunción. Following the inspection of 11 containers, authorities seized a [ … ]
Central America Receives US Support following Hurricane Emergencies
Hurricanes Iota and Eta struck Central America hard in less than two weeks, leaving a trail of destruction and death in Nicaragua, Honduras, and Guatemala. Currently, Iota is leaving Nicaragua toward Honduras, with tropical storm force. U.S. Southern Command’s (SOUTHCOM) Joint Task Force Bravo (JTF-Bravo) is in the area to [ … ]
Ecuadorean Police Seizes 1.5 Tons of Cocaine Hidden in Tuna Cans
The Ecuadorean National Police dealt a major blow to narcotrafficking on October 2 by finding 1.5 tons of cocaine hidden in a shipment of tuna cans in the province of Manabí. According to the Anti-narcotics Investigative Unit of the Ecuadorean Police, the cocaine was bound for a port in Guayaquil, [ … ]
Panama Seizes 3.7 Tons of Cocaine in the First Days of October
Between September 30 and October 6, the Panamanian Air and Naval Service (SENAN, in Spanish) seized more than 3.7 tons of cocaine in four operations conducted in Panamanian waters. On October 6, while patrolling north of Colón Island, Bocas del Toro province, SENAN agents seized 1,833 kilograms of cocaine in [ … ]