The Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), which is leaving a trail of violence in Mexico, is quietly expanding its criminal network in Guatemala, InSight Crime, an organization that studies organized crime in Latin America and the Caribbean, said in a May 18 report. The investigation, initiated two years prior, confirms the claims of the U.S. Treasury Department and the Guatemalan Public Ministry (MP).
As the head of the Clan del Golfo faced narcotrafficking charges in New York following his extradition to the United States, Colombian authorities intensified their offensive against the criminal group to weaken it and capture its leaders.
Sérgio Roberto de Carvalho, better known as the “Brazilian Pablo Escobar” or “Major Carvalho,” a former Brazilian service member, has been arrested in Budapest, the capital of Hungary, in a joint operation between Interpol, the Brazilian Federal Police (PF), and foreign agencies, Agência Brasil de Notícias reported. Carvalho, who was arrested with false documents in the early hours of June 21, is considered by many investigators specializing in this type of crime to be among the world’s most wanted narcotraffickers.
China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC), a subsidiary of China Communication Construction Group (CCCC), which has been involved in fraudulent practices in several countries, is carrying out design, rehabilitation, and expansion work on 107 kilometers of National Route 32 (Río Frío-Limón) in Costa Rica, creating challenges that threaten the country’s social, economic, and environmental balance.
Russia is using its diplomats to spread falsehoods about the war in Ukraine, analysts warn. Russian embassies and consulates around the world are using Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms to spread lies about atrocities on the front. The diplomatic disinformation intensified after the European Union banned RT, Sputnik, and other Kremlin-backed media outlets in March, AP reported.
In a special operation, agents of the Honduran Special Operations Command and the Honduran National Police’s National Anti-Drug Police Directorate captured Herlinda Bobadilla, alias La Chinda, accused of leading a narcotrafficking cartel in the Caribbean coast of Honduras with her sons, the National Police said.
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.
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 blow to a subgroup of the National Liberation Army (ELN), which engaged in the illegal exploitation of mining deposits on the Atrato river, close to the municipality of Lloró, Chocó department.
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.
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 of the most violent narcotrafficking organizations currently operating in Mexico. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) claims that the CJNG began a move to expand out of Mexico several years ago, sparking a war between the group and its arch enemies, the Zetas Cartel, that continues to this day.
“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 Duque said June 13 via Twitter. Defense Minister Diego Molano Aponte also corroborated the information on Twitter: “Operation ‘Jaguar’ dealt a resounding blow to FARC dissidents. Congratulations to our soldiers and police for their dedicated work and commitment, for freeing Colombia from ‘Mayimbú,’ a symbol of evil that is out of circulation.”
An alliance between Colombian criminal groups and the Venezuelan military is turning Venezuela into an emerging cocaine producer.
For more on security and defense issues around the globe, click on the links below:
