Following the fall of the Medellín drug cartel and the death of its leader Pablo Escobar Gaviria in 1993, Mexican cartels began to control cocaine smuggling and distribution in Colombia. In recent years, Mexican narcotraffickers have started to invest in the production of Colombian cocaine. To counteract the arrival of [ … ]
Launched by the Brazilian Ministry of Justice and Public Security (MJSP, in Portuguese) in April 2019, the national border security program VIGIA recorded an increase of more than 260 percent in drug seizures in the first two months of 2021, compared to the same period in 2020. The program brings [ … ]
From January to March 2021, Guatemalan police forces dealt multiple blows to narcotrafficking, capturing 12 suspects wanted for extradition by the United States due to their connections with international narcotrafficking organizations. On March 18, Guatemalan National Civil Police (PNC, in Spanish) anti-drug agents reported the arrest of Byron Alcides Berganza [ … ]
The U.S. government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), donated an additional $2 million to support the response of the government of El Salvador to the COVID-19 pandemic. With this grant, the U.S. government has provided $28 million to El Salvador since the onset of the emergency. The [ … ]
Strategic information sharing and coordinated operations planning to combat emerging threats at a transnational level were topics on the agenda at the 25th virtual meeting of Honduran and Salvadoran border military units. The meeting took place under the Central American Armed Forces Conference (CFAC, in Spanish). Participants The commanders of [ … ]
The First Capital Command (PCC, in Portuguese), the largest drug and arms trafficking group in Brazil, lost one of its leaders who operated along the border with Paraguay. In the evening of March 23, 2021, 14 members of the PCC were arrested in Pedro Juan Caballero, a Paraguayan city adjacent [ … ]
The military siege against leaders of criminal groups in Colombia continues to show positive results. Structures of the Clan del Golfo have suffered major blows. On March 24, 2021, Colombian Minister of Defense Diego Molano announced simultaneous operations that led to the capture of 25 Clan del Golfo members in [ … ]
On April 20, the U.S. government, through U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), announced the donation of three mobile hospitals and two mobile operations centers, among other items, to boost the Dominican Republic government’s capability to quickly deploy personnel and medical equipment, and to care for those in need of emergency assistance [ … ]
On March 17, during Operation Olympus (Operación Olimpo), agents of the Paraguayan National Anti-Drug Secretariat (SENAD, in Spanish) intercepted a truck carrying 574.8 kilograms of cocaine hidden in a false-bottom. The operation occurred at the Carmelo Peralta crossing in Alto Paraguay department, 700 kilometers from Asunción, in the region known [ … ]
The increase in drug production in Peru, especially in the Ucayali region, is noticeable due to the increase in clandestine airstrips that narcotraffickers use. To date, authorities have found 46 clandestine airstrips in forests; many of them are located on indigenous community lands, the Ucayali regional government’s Regional Forestry and [ … ]
Colombian law enforcement agencies dealt a significant blow to narcotrafficking organizations by intercepting 19,249 kilograms of cocaine hydrochloride and marijuana in different operations between March 16 and April 5, 2021. On April 5, the Colombian Military Forces’ General Command (CGFM, in Spanish) announced the seizure of 1,085 kg of marijuana [ … ]
U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) Major Felipe A. Bayona is an exchange officer in the Brazilian Marine Corps (CFN, in Portuguese). The U.S. officer arrived in Brazil in August 2020 and is expected to remain with Brazilian service members until July 2023. A combat engineer officer, Maj. Bayona conducted operations in [ … ]
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