The Ecuadorean National Police dealt a major blow to narcotrafficking on October 2 by finding 1.5 tons of cocaine hidden in a shipment of tuna cans in the province of Manabí. According to the Anti-narcotics Investigative Unit of the Ecuadorean Police, the cocaine was bound for a port in Guayaquil, [ … ]
Recent News
Panama Seizes 3.7 Tons of Cocaine in the First Days of October
Between September 30 and October 6, the Panamanian Air and Naval Service (SENAN, in Spanish) seized more than 3.7 tons of cocaine in four operations conducted in Panamanian waters. On October 6, while patrolling north of Colón Island, Bocas del Toro province, SENAN agents seized 1,833 kilograms of cocaine in [ … ]
Authorities Follow the Trail of Alex Saab, Nicolás Maduro’s Front Man
The Colombian Office of the Attorney General seized assets valued at $9.8 million from Alex Saab, a Colombian businessman and Nicolás Maduro’s front man, CNN reported on October 17, 2020. Authorities seized two properties in Barranquilla and Cartagena and three companies that Saab used for money laundering, the report says. [ … ]
New River Base and National Force Agents Strengthen Fight Against Crimes in Brazil’s Amazonas
In two months of work, Brazilian police officers and military personnel from Arpão Base have seized drugs and other goods with an estimated value of about $900,000. Cocaine and coca base paste, marijuana, live turtles, and reptile eggs were some of the items seized. Arpão Base is a new project, [ … ]
Costa Rica Dismantles Gang Linked to Sinaloa Cartel
Costa Rican authorities reported that, in several interagency operations, they dismantled a gang that operated in the country’s north and worked together with the Mexican Sinaloa Cartel. “[The operation] relates to a criminal group based in our country that had a direct relationship with the Sinaloa Cartel and that was [ … ]
Army South coordinates COVID-19 lessons learned exchange with Brooke Army Medical Center and Argentine Army
Personnel from U.S. Army South, Brooke Army Medical Center, and the Central Military Medical Hospital of Buenos Aires, Argentina, participated in a virtual COVID-19 lessons learned exchange October 21 to share best practices in response to the pandemic and other health-related topics. The idea for the exchange was developed in [ … ]
Bolivia: Narcotics Agents Seize 5 Narco-aircraft
Bolivia’s Special Force against Drug Trafficking (FELCN, in Spanish) seized five light narco-aircraft during three counternarcotics operations conducted in Beni department in September. “During Operation Hive [Operación Colmena], we seized 288 kilograms [of cocaine], in addition to 180 grams of cocaine hydrochloride, 180 liters of fuel, a ranch called Nuevo [ … ]
JTF-Bravo Aviation Assistance Concludes
After almost two weeks of disaster relief missions, personnel assigned to Joint Task Force Bravo culminate rescue and aviation assistance operations in areas affected by Hurricane Eta in Panama, Guatemala, and Honduras. “Joint Task Force Bravo is proud to have worked alongside our partners during this challenging time in support [ … ]
USS William P. Lawrence Joins Hurricane Eta Relief Efforts in Honduras
The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS William P. Lawrence (DDG 110) and the “Easyriders” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 37 are supporting humanitarian assistance disaster relief (HADR) efforts in Honduras in response to the devastation left by Hurricane Eta, November 13. William P. Lawrence arrived off the coast of [ … ]
Success at Sea: 61st UNITAS Enhances Interoperability Among Forces
UNITAS LXI, the world’s longest running multinational maritime exercise concluded with a closing ceremony in Manta, Ecuador, November 11. For this year’s iteration of UNITAS, Ecuador served as the host nation, and was joined by forces from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Peru, the United States, and Uruguay. [ … ]
Peruvian Armed Forces Report Operations Against Organized Crime
In operations carried out September 8-21, the Peruvian Armed Forces dealt several blows to narcotrafficking and illegal mining. On September 21, thanks to intelligence gathered by an elite group of the Peruvian National Police, service members found 433 kilograms of cocaine buried in Huanta province, Ayacucho department, as reported by [ … ]
JTF-Bravo Commits to Additional Assistance
As life-saving efforts continue in Honduras, Panama, and Guatemala, Joint Task Force Bravo (JTF-Bravo) begins to transition from rescue operations to delivery of necessary aid to communities that have been stranded for days since Hurricane Eta passed through Central America. U.S. Navy Admiral Craig S. Faller, commander of U.S Southern [ … ]