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The transformation of Brazilian organized crime — from a phenomenon primarily associated with illegal activities into a network capable of exercising territorial and coercive control — is redefining the nature of the challenge criminal factions pose to the state. Criminal power is no longer measured solely by the amount of drugs trafficked or firepower, but also by the ability to…
Colombia is intensifying its offensive against criminal organizations with a strategy aimed not only at their armed members and drug trafficking operations, but also at the finances and illicit economies that allow them to maintain territorial control. “We are going to strike their structures, their leaders, their finances, and the illicit economies that fuel their criminal machinery,” President Abelardo De…
Peru and Ecuador are coordinating their security forces against illegal mining and logging along their shared border with a clear objective: preventing criminal networks from shifting their operations across the border when pressure increases in either country. In May 2026, the countries’ defense ministers met in Arenillas, Ecuador, and agreed to strengthen cooperation against transnational organized crime, illegal mining, and…
Transnational criminal organizations increasingly operate across borders, combining drug trafficking and other illicit economies with financial, logistical, and corruption networks that allow them to expand their reach. Faced with a threat that exceeds the response capabilities of any single country, regional cooperation has become a central component of security efforts across the hemisphere. That approach gained new momentum in March…
From August 15–28, 2026, the Dominican Republic and the United States combined intelligence, surveillance, maritime patrol aircraft, surface vessels, and partner-nation interdiction capabilities during Operation Ultramar, a coordinated counternarcotics effort in the Central Caribbean. The operation demonstrated how the Dominican Republic and the United States, supported by regional and international partners, can apply persistent systemic friction to transnational criminal organizations…
Ecuadorian security forces captured Francisco Manuel Bermúdez Cagua, alias Churrón, one of the top leaders of Los Choneros, in Guayaquil on July 2. Bermúdez Cagua was wanted by U.S. authorities on drug trafficking and weapons charges. The U.S. government had offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his arrest or conviction. The arrest further reduced…
The capture of Alejandro Arias Monge, alias Diablo, considered Costa Rica’s most wanted fugitive, exposed the growing firepower and technological capabilities of criminal organizations, British broadcaster BBC News reported. The operation ended a decade on the run after a nearly 50-minute firefight that left eight agents wounded, Infobae reported. Security forces carried out the operation on July 24, 2026, in…
The Caribbean Sea’s growing role in cocaine trafficking routes oused by transnational criminal organizations highlights the need to move beyond isolated national responses toward a multinational strategy that integrates military, air and maritime, intelligence, and law enforcement capabilities. The challenge is compounded by persistently high levels of coca cultivation in Colombia. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and…
The fight against transnational organized crime in Latin America and the Caribbean is entering a new phase. Beyond capturing kingpins or seizing drugs, governments are increasingly focusing their efforts on identifying, tracing, and dismantling the financial structures that sustain criminal organizations. That shift was reflected in Guatemala with the September entry into force of the Comprehensive Law for the Prevention…
The capture in Colombia of Ronald Javier Macías Villamar, alias Javi, an alleged leader of the Los Choneros terrorist organization, demonstrated the operational reach of Ecuador’s cooperation with its regional partners against transnational organized crime. The intelligence sharing that led authorities to locate him in Bogotá is part of a series of bilateral and regional mechanisms through which Ecuador seeks…
Ecuador and the United States continue to expand the tools available to confront transnational criminal organizations and the networks that sustain their operations within and beyond the country. As authorities intensify actions against these organizations, new terrorist designations are strengthening the legal and financial tools available to target their resources and support networks. Among them are the U.S. designations of…
Brazil’s two largest criminal organizations, the First Capital Command (PCC) and the Red Command (CV), have expanded their transnational reach by building relationships with local criminal groups and gaining access to different stages of the cocaine supply chain. In the tri-border region connecting the Colombian, Peruvian, and Brazilian Amazons, the most visible expansion has been that of CV, which has…
