Rear Admiral Don Gabrielson, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. Fourth Fleet (USNAVSO/FOURTHFLT), hosted delegates from the Brazilian Navy for the 15th annual Maritime Staff Talks (MST), May 5. Annual MSTs support the U.S. maritime strategy, “Advantage at Sea,” by building and strengthening working relationships between U.S. and respective [ … ]
News
Honduran Air Force Commander Inducted into WHINSEC Hall of Fame
“WHINSEC has marked my life. It has taught me a lot, and I have put into practice what I was taught here,” said Brigadier General Javier René Barrientos Alvarado, Honduran Air Force commanding general, as he expressed his gratitude for his induction into the Hall of Fame of the Western [ … ]
US Delivers More Ventilators to Ecuador
The U.S. Embassy in Ecuador delivered eight ventilators, valued at $135,200, to the Ecuadorian Ministry of Public Health on April 29, 2021. The Hamilton-T1 Gray equipment will support the medical care given to COVID-19 patients at the Enrique Garcés, Eugenio Espejo, and Pablo Arturo Suárez hospitals, all located in Quito, [ … ]
Uruguay: Blow to Narcotrafficking with the Seizure of 1.5 Tons of Cocaine
In two operations, the Uruguayan security forces prevented the shipment of more than 1.5 tons of cocaine and dismantled a criminal gang that engaged in narcotrafficking in various parts of the country. On March 29, Uruguayan Minister of the Interior Jorge Larrañaga announced the results of Operation Arab (Operación Árabe), [ … ]
US Announces Increased Assistance for the People of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras
On April 26, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris announced that the United States is providing $310 million in increased assistance to the Northern Triangle, including $255 million in assistance to meet immediate and urgent humanitarian needs for people in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras; refugees; other displaced people; and vulnerable [ … ]
Argentina Seizes More than 12 Tons of Drugs in 2 Weeks
Argentine security forces seized 12,640 kilograms of marijuana in several operations. The Argentine National Gendarmerie (GNA, in Spanish) reported the seizure of 3,470 kg of marijuana that criminals transported in a truck and hid in sawdust, on April 1, 2021. The operation took place in Corrientes province, where service members [ … ]
Paraguay’s Most Wanted Narcotrafficker Arrested in Brazil
The Brazilian Federal Police (PF, in Portuguese), in cooperation with the Paraguayan National Anti-Drug Secretariat (SENAD, in Portuguese), arrested Jorge Teófilo Samudio González, Paraguay’s most wanted narcotrafficker. PF agents caught Samuldio González, known as Samura, on March 29, 2021, in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso. [caption id="attachment_46424" align="aligncenter" width="330"] [ … ]
Costa Rica Seizes 3.2 Tons of Cocaine in the Caribbean
Costa Rican security forces carried out two seizures on March 16 and 18, 2021, seizing 3.2 tons of cocaine. Both operations took place in Limón province, on the Caribbean coast of the Central American country. The Costa Rican Ministry of Public Security reported the seizure of a shipment of 2.6 [ … ]
Chilean Security Forces Seize 4 Tons of Drugs in 2 Operations
The Chilean Navy and Chile’s Investigations Police (PDI, in Spanish) dealt a blow to narcotrafficking in two operations carried out in March, in the north of the country, seizing more than 4 tons of drugs, including cocaine, cocaine base paste, and marijuana. On the early morning of March 28, two [ … ]
Ecuadorian Police Disrupts Shipment of More than 1 Ton of Cocaine
The Ecuadorian National Police seized more than 1 ton of cocaine that was hidden in a fruit shipment destined for Europe, Ecuadorian Minister of Government Gabriel Martínez said on Twitter on March 26. The operation dubbed Impact 96 (Impacto 96) took place in the port of Aguas Profundas, in a [ … ]
Paraguay: Anti-drug Agents Arrest US Wanted Pilot
On March 25, 2021, agents of the Paraguayan National Anti-Drug Secretariat (SENAD, in Spanish) arrested one of the pilots most wanted by the United States, identified as Ronier Sánchez or Ronier Sánchez Alonso, alias Rony. “He is a 44-year-old Mexican national who is responsible for smuggling large volumes of drugs [ … ]
Mexican Narcotrafficking Cartels Expand their Control in Colombia
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 [ … ]