Brazil carried out a series of preventive and repressive actions against cross-border and environmental crimes along the border and in the maritime area of the states of Paraná, Santa Catarina, and Rio Grande do Sul, July 1-15. The actions were part of Operation Joint Agatha South (Operação Ágata Conjunta Sul) [ … ]
Paraguayan authorities made historic drug seizures between 2018 and 2023, with 30,000 tons of marijuana and nearly14 tons of cocaine in more than 5,000 operations, Paraguay’s National Anti-Drug Secretariat (SENAD) indicated in a statement. “International cooperation was key to carrying out these actions in the fight against organized crime,” Francisco [ … ]
“South America is critical to the Western Hemisphere — it’s so important! It’s importance surpasses the economic ties and the wealth of its natural resources… Yet, the entire region, to include South America is facing unparalleled threats in the cyber domain and from climate change,” said U.S. Army General Laura J. Richardson, [ … ]
The United States and Costa Rica announced August 21 a collaborative security initiative that will strengthen Costa Rica’s cyber defenses against threats from malicious actors. In San José, Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves and the Commander of U.S. Southern Command, General Laura J. Richardson, announced a three-year, $9.8 million U.S. funded [ … ]
Brazil’s relationship with China and some of the trade agreements recently signed for Chinese companies to invest in the South American nation have set off alarm bells in industrial sectors, warning of unfair competition that harms the local market. In mid-April, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva traveled to [ … ]
China is showing interest in investing in the construction of a transoceanic train rail that will bridge the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of Honduras. The proposed $20 billion train rail project, with an estimated 15-year construction timeline, is part of a broader initiative of trade and investment between both countries. [ … ]
The Brazilian Federal Police (PF) successfully dismantled a large money laundering network linked to international drug trafficking. Operation Bahamut, launched on July 12, led to the arrest of several people in the states of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Santa Catarina, and Rio Grande do Sul. As part of Bahamut, [ … ]
Ecuador and Colombia are making significant efforts to reduce the advances of narcotrafficking in their territories, increasing their focus on the banana industry, an important source of income for both nations. In a June 2023 investigation, Ecuador’s state-owned TC Televisión and the transnational media initiative CONNECTAS warned about the increase [ … ]
Brazil’s largest criminal groups, the First Command of the Capital (PCC) and the Red Command (CV), have been working together with illegal miners in the Amazon, hampering government efforts to eradicate mining and contributing to increased violence in Brazil’s Yanomami reservation, the largest indigenous territory in the world and home [ … ]
U.S. Ambassador to Costa Rica Cynthia Telles and Costa Rican Minister of Public Security Mario Zamora presented in early July the Together for Limón initiative, a joint U.S.-Costa Rican effort to bring greater prosperity and security to the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. Together for Limón reflects the U.S. commitment [ … ]
China and Cuba are in advanced negotiations for the construction of a joint military training facility, an infrastructure that would facilitate the presence of Chinese troops in Cuba on a permanent basis. A base for these purposes would be in addition to the spy bases that China allegedly has on [ … ]
The recent problems of China’s mega-port project in Chancay, Peru, renewed concerns about Chinese companies’ shoddy workmanship as well as China’s true motives behind its strong participation in what is envisioned as a major trading hub in the region. In mid-May, following a landslide at one of the port’s tunnel [ … ]
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