News

Ecuador has bolstered its maritime control operations in the eastern Pacific through the integration of international cooperation, the incorporation of new naval assets, and the deployment of high-level strategic intelligence. This comprehensive modernization is a direct response to the surge in maritime traffic exploited by drug trafficking organizations and transnational [ … ]

The illicit extraction of gold in the Amazon has found a formidable catalyst in surging global demand, increasingly orchestrated by Chinese interests through an elusive medium: gold-bearing sands. According to investigative media alliance Amazon Underworld, Chinese trading syndicates have woven a sophisticated web that allows clandestinely mined gold across South [ … ]

At the inaugural Americas Counter-Cartel Conference held on March 5 at U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) headquarters in Doral, Florida, military and security leaders from across the hemisphere delivered a blunt message to cartel networks: The region is prepared to confront them together. “This is not a conference with flags so [ … ]

Costa Rican authorities are on high alert following the exposure of the South Caribbean Cartel, the first local group to be officially recognized as a transnational criminal organization. This discovery is driving a decisive shift in the nation’s security policy as the government moves to dismantle the infrastructure of organized [ … ]

Transnational criminal organizations have crossed a decisive threshold in their industrial evolution. They no longer operate merely as gangs, but as sophisticated networks capable of technological development, specialized outsourcing, and the strategic adoption of digital tools to manage risk. This qualitative leap has reduced operational friction and increased resilience under [ … ]

With the official endorsement of the U.S. Department of State in early 2026, the government of Peru is moving forward with a historic $1.5 billion initiative to modernize and relocate the Callao Naval Base. This project, coordinated through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program, represents a landmark in bilateral cooperation, [ … ]

U.S. Marines with 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion (2nd CEB) conducted bilateral training alongside Panamanian security forces during Panamanian Partnership 26-3A, January 10-February 26. The purpose of the partnership and training was to reinforce readiness and interoperability through combined training in dense jungle terrain and austere range environments. The 45-day training [ … ]

U.S. Air Forces Southern (AFSOUTH) and the government of Saint Kitts and Nevis concluded the Lesser Antilles Medical Assistance Team (LAMAT) 2026 engagement during a closing ceremony in Basseterre on March 6, marking the completion of a two-week medical collaboration across St. Kitts and Nevis. During the mission, U.S. Air [ … ]

Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing has transcended mere environmental concerns to become a structural challenge that directly threatens the maritime security and national sovereignty of South American nations. The relentless expansion of the Chinese distant-water fishing fleet across the Pacific and South Atlantic has forced coastal states to step [ … ]

Ecuador kicked off coordinated security operations this month with regional partner nations and the United States, in an intensified push against transnational criminal organizations (TCOs). The announcement came March 2 following a meeting in Quito between President Daniel Noboa and U.S. Marine Corps General Francis L. Donovan, commander of U.S. [ … ]

The expansion of organized crime has transformed regional insecurity into a top priority for Latin America, prompting a surge in cross-border cooperation and institutional reform. Recent data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) underscores the impact of these criminal networks on governance and economic growth; however, these [ … ]

Ecuador, which until a decade ago was perceived as a relatively stable country in a region rife with transnational crime, now faces a pivotal test of its sovereignty. At the heart of this transformation are Los Choneros and Los Lobos, two powerful criminal structures the Ecuadorian government designated as terrorist [ … ]