Growing demand for cocaine in Europe is driving changes in global drug production networks, and European criminals are now producing cocaine and methamphetamines on their home turf, with the help of their Latin American counterparts. According to a May 6 report from the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug [ … ]
News
Colombian Navy Strikes Illegal Mining in Chocó
The Colombian Navy continues its offensive against illegal mining throughout the national territory, reaffirming its commitment to preserving the nation’s resources and curbing the actions of transnational criminal organizations. As such, in late May, through a joint operation with the Army and the National Police, Navy units dealt a heavy [ … ]
Interpol Fights Against Illegal Logging in Latin America
Security forces of Latin America and the Caribbean recovered more than 80 shipments of illegal timber through international monitoring and cooperation as part of Operation Arcadia, Interpol said in April. “When we talk about Operation Arcadia we are not only talking about the tangible, such as captures, seizures of timber, [ … ]
Quimbaya Drones in the Fight Against Crime in Colombia
One of the main projects of the Colombian Ministry of Defense, the unmanned aerial system (UAS) Quimbaya, 100 percent Colombian military technology, is about to conclude operational tests to begin surveillance, border control, and crime-fighting missions. “The system is currently in the fourth phase. We are finishing tests [...] of [ … ]
Russian Cybercriminals, the Target of Global Authorities
Relentless Russian cyberattacks have given way to a hybrid war in Ukraine, a recent Microsoft report finds. “The [cyber]attacks not only degraded the systems of institutions in Ukraine, but have also sought to disrupt people’s access to reliable information and critical life services on which civilian depend, and have attempted [ … ]
Powerful Mexican Cartel Expands in Guatemala
On December 1, 2021, the U.S. Department of State (DoS) announced a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Juan Carlos Valencia González, an alleged high-level member of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). The DoS considers the CJNG to be one [ … ]
Ecuador Increases International Cooperation to Combat Narcotrafficking
Ecuador has been experiencing increased violence, including car bombs and prison riots, which have resulted in nearly 400 death in little more than a year, France 24 reported on May 25. “A series of factors such as geographic proximity to Colombia, a porous border, corruption, new criminal alliances, Mexican cartels, [ … ]
FARC Dissident Leader Neutralized in Colombian Military Forces’ Operation Jaguar
“I want to inform the country that thanks to Operation #Jaguar of our glorious @COL_EJERCITO [Colombian Army], in the municipality of Suárez, Cauca, Leider Johany Noscue, alias ‘Mayimbú,’ leader of FARC [Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia] dissident groups and one of Colombia’s most wanted criminals, was neutralized,” Colombian President Iván [ … ]
Armed Groups Grow under Maduro
The Nicolás Maduro regime has been exploiting the growth of armed groups in Venezuela, encouraging the strengthening of some illegal groups considered useful for social control and repression. “The Maduro regime realized that it is not capable of exercising control with its own forces. It is trying to have territorial [ … ]
Sentinel Watch Prepares Guatemala and US Military for Regional Disasters
Personnel from Joint Task Force Bravo (JTF-Bravo), the U.S. Agency for International Development Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance (USAID/BHA), the Guatemalan National Coordination for Disaster Reduction (CONRED), and Guatemalan military representatives conducted a two-day humanitarian assistance and disaster relief tabletop exercise, Sentinel Watch, June 8-9. Participants included logistics, aviation, operations, and [ … ]
Fuerzas Comando 2022 Kicks Off in Honduras
Honduras hosted Fuerzas Comando 2022 opening ceremony at Campo Marte, Tegucigalpa, June 13, 2022. Seventeen countries will compete in a Special Operations Forces skills competition to earn the title of the Best Special Forces of the Americas, June 13-23. “Without a doubt, this event is an opportunity to strengthen our [ … ]
The Russian Military’s History of Atrocities
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s forces in Ukraine have destroyed apartment buildings, schools, hospitals, shopping centers and ambulances, leaving thousands of civilians killed or wounded. Mounting evidence indicates that the Russian Federation’s forces are torturing and killing civilians in the cities they capture. After Russia’s forces withdrew from the Kyiv suburb [ … ]