The Caribbean Naval Force increased cocaine hydrochloride seizures in Caribbean waters by 52 percent from January to August 2020, according to a Colombian Navy August 22 report. As of August 2020, authorities have seized 84,662 kilograms of cocaine hydrochloride, while the amount seized in the same period in 2019 was [ … ]
News
Partnership and Trust: SOUTHCOM Commander Visits Soto Cano Air Base in Honduras
Joint Task Force Bravo (JTF-Bravo), a task force under U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) and the oldest standing task force in U.S. military history, hosts approximately 500 U.S. military personnel — a relatively small team but a strong, qualified, and competent force that has left a long-lasting footprint in a rapidly [ … ]
Leader of Criminal Group Alias Cristian Grande Captured in Colombia
In early October, during a joint and coordinated operation carried out by the Colombian Air Force, the National Army, the National Police, the Technical Investigation Corps (CTI, in Spanish), and the Attorney General’s Office, authorities found and captured Danilo Santos Pantoja, alias Cristian Grande, the main leader of the criminal [ … ]
Ecuador Dismantles Campsites of Colombian Criminal Groups
The Ecuadorean Armed Forces dismantled three paramilitary campsites near the border with Colombia and detected the presence of Colombian armed groups linked to narcotrafficking. The operations took place in Putumayo canton, between August 27 and 30, 2020. The Ecuadorean Army reported finding ammunition, vests, tactical backpacks, magazines, awnings, antipersonnel mines, [ … ]
Colombian Forces Seize a Semisubmersible and a Narco-lab in 1 Day
During a joint operation in late August, the Colombian Navy, Army, and National Police intercepted a semisubmersible that was carrying more than 1 ton of cocaine hydrochloride off the Pacific coast of the Nariño department. On the same day, in the Tumaco municipality of the same department, security forces found [ … ]
COVID-19 Field Hospital Opened at National Chest Hospital in Jamaica
U.S. Ambassador to Jamaica Donald Tapia and U.S. Navy Admiral Craig Faller, commander of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), on September 24, officially handed over a field hospital to the government and people of Jamaica. Dr. Christopher Tufton, Jamaican minister of Health and Wellness, and Senator the Hon. Kamina Johnson Smith were [ … ]
Joint Task Force Bravo’s Headquarters Support Company Gives Back
U.S. service members from the Army Forces Battalion Headquarters Support Company (HSC) at Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras, delivered charitable donations to the Horizontes al Futuro Orphanage in Comayagua Honduras, on September 5. HSC is the sponsor for the Horizontes al Futuro Orphanage, and prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the [ … ]
US Embassy Donates 3 Field Hospitals to Panama to Combat COVID-19
On September 29, Stewart Tuttle, acting chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Panama, handed over three field hospitals to Panamanian health authorities to increase capabilities and combat COVID-19 in the country. “Panama and the United States are united by strong bonds of friendship. This donation is an example [ … ]
SOUTHCOM Commander Meets with El Salvador Defense Minister to Discuss Security Cooperation
U.S. Navy Admiral Craig Faller, commander of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), visited El Salvador on October 21, where he met with the country’s Defense Minister Rear Admiral Rene Merino Monroy and his staff. The visit comes after Adm Faller — who is visiting the Central America region — made stops [ … ]
US, Honduras Conclude Operation Against Narcotrafficking
U.S. Navy Admiral Craig Faller, commander of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), and Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández concluded on October 19 a combined operation against narcotrafficking that began in April, the Honduran government reported. The so-called Operation Dominion (Operación Dominio), with Honduran and U.S. authorities participating, “has dealt heavy blows [ … ]
Brazil, Paraguay Strengthen Fight Against Narcotrafficking Along Their Shared Border
Brazilian and Paraguayan security forces have jointly dealt successive blows to narcotrafficking in recent weeks. On September 22, the Paraguayan National Anti-Drug Secretariat (SENAD, in Spanish) dismantled a clandestine cocaine laboratory in the city of Villa Elisa. [caption id="attachment_40414" align="alignleft" width="338"] Brazilian and Paraguayan security forces concluded the 22nd phase [ … ]
SPMAGTF Marines, JTF-Bravo donate critical supplies to Trujillo in Honduras
Marines with Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force - Southern Command and service members with Joint Task Force Bravo (JTF-Bravo) donated boxes of single-use medical and reusable masks, wheelchairs, and kits for expecting mothers to Hospital Salvador Paredes in Trujillo, Honduras, on September 16. This joint service collaboration with the [ … ]