Transnational Threats

Ecuador joins Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru among the Latin American countries hardest hit by cybercrime, and more specifically malware attacks. According to the latest Global Cybersecurity Index of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a United Nations agency, Ecuador ranks 119th out of 182 countries for vulnerability to cyberattacks. [ … ]

Trinidad and Tobago security forces are bracing themselves for a new wave of violence, while beefing up capabilities to combat crime, as gangs splinter and new leaders attempt to establish control. According to the country’s intelligence body’s latest security report, the Strategic Services Agency (SSA) 2021 Annual Report, released in [ … ]

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 [ … ]

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. “The Clan del Golfo has been dealt the hardest blows since it emerged [ … ]

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 [ … ]

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 [ … ]

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. According to the police report, [ … ]

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 [ … ]

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. According to a May 6 report from the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug [ … ]

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. “The system is currently in the fourth phase. We are finishing tests [...] of [ … ]

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 [ … ]