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 [ … ]
Transnational Threats
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 [ … ]
Seizures of Drugs in Containers Increase in Latin America
The seizure of cocaine and other illicit substances hidden in containers, ready to be shipped from air, sea, and land terminals, increased in 2020 and reached a total of 106 tons, 29 more than in 2019, according to a March 1, 2021 report of the United Nations Office on Drugs [ … ]
Drug Seizures at Brazilian Borders Increase 260 Percent in 2021
Launched by the Brazilian Ministry of Justice and Public Security (MJSP, in Portuguese) in April 2019, the national border security program VIGIA recorded an increase of more than 260 percent in drug seizures in the first two months of 2021, compared to the same period in 2020. The program brings [ … ]
Guatemala Captures 12 Narcotraffickers Wanted for Extradition
From January to March 2021, Guatemalan police forces dealt multiple blows to narcotrafficking, capturing 12 suspects wanted for extradition by the United States due to their connections with international narcotrafficking organizations. On March 18, Guatemalan National Civil Police (PNC, in Spanish) anti-drug agents reported the arrest of Byron Alcides Berganza [ … ]
Honduras Joins Efforts Against Transnational Threats
Strategic information sharing and coordinated operations planning to combat emerging threats at a transnational level were topics on the agenda at the 25th virtual meeting of Honduran and Salvadoran border military units. The meeting took place under the Central American Armed Forces Conference (CFAC, in Spanish). Participants The commanders of [ … ]
Members of the Largest Brazilian Narcotrafficking Faction Arrested at the Border with Paraguay
The First Capital Command (PCC, in Portuguese), the largest drug and arms trafficking group in Brazil, lost one of its leaders who operated along the border with Paraguay. In the evening of March 23, 2021, 14 members of the PCC were arrested in Pedro Juan Caballero, a Paraguayan city adjacent [ … ]
Colombia Strikes Clan del Golfo Structures
The military siege against leaders of criminal groups in Colombia continues to show positive results. Structures of the Clan del Golfo have suffered major blows. On March 24, 2021, Colombian Minister of Defense Diego Molano announced simultaneous operations that led to the capture of 25 Clan del Golfo members in [ … ]
Paraguay: Agents Dismantle Organization that Trafficked Cocaine to Brazil
On March 17, during Operation Olympus (Operación Olimpo), agents of the Paraguayan National Anti-Drug Secretariat (SENAD, in Spanish) intercepted a truck carrying 574.8 kilograms of cocaine hidden in a false-bottom. The operation occurred at the Carmelo Peralta crossing in Alto Paraguay department, 700 kilometers from Asunción, in the region known [ … ]