The Russian Federation considers the Latin American (LATAM) region one of the main areas of its ongoing global outreach. Despite a relatively light footprint in terms of manpower and materiel, Russia has managed to maintain and strengthen its military-security relationship with three key states: Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua. Moscow is [ … ]
Transnational Threats
Venezuelans Protest for Teachers and Basic Services
Venezuelans continue protesting the illegitimate regime of Nicolás Maduro, demanding the restoration of basic services and better treatment for teachers. In one week, from the end of September to the beginning of October 2020, 233 protests have swept the country, from rural towns to cities such as Caracas. There were [ … ]
Nicaragua to Punish Anti-regime Opinions on Internet, Social Media
On October 23, 2020, the Nicaraguan National Assembly ruled in favor of a presidential bill declaring as cybercrimes any kind of public expression of ideas against the Daniel Ortega regime published on the internet and social media. With this Special Law on Cybercrimes, the National Police, the Telecommunications Institute, and [ … ]
Brazil: Federal Police Investigates International Gold Smuggling Organization
On October 9, the Brazilian Federal Police (PF, in Portuguese) launched an operation to dismantle a money laundering, tax evasion, and gold smuggling scheme from Venezuela to Brazil. “The investigations concluded that the criminal group consisted of a Lebanese citizen and his two brothers, who would coordinate the illegal scheme [ … ]
Colombian Navy, Unrelenting Against Narcotrafficking in the Pacific and the Caribbean
The Colombian Navy seized 3.8 tons of narcotics in its territorial waters and shared information with partner nations to intercept 5 tons of drugs, in five operations carried out in the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, September 22-30. Units of the Buenaventura Coast Guard Station reported on September 30 [ … ]
Peru: Armed Forces, National Police Conduct Joint Operations Against Narcotrafficking
Peru’s Armed Forces and National Police (PNP, in Spanish) have joined efforts to combat narcotics and terrorism. The focus of the joint operations is the Apurímac, Ene, and Mantaro Rivers Valley (VRAEM, in Spanish), a region where about 70 percent of the local cocaine is produced. On October 14, service [ … ]
Paraguay Dismantles ‘VIP Marijuana’ Labs
In September, the Paraguayan National Anti-Drug Secretariat (SENAD, in Spanish) dismantled four urban clandestine labs that produced so-called “VIP marijuana,” the most expensive variety in the market. This is a new marijuana strain with high levels of THC, the main psychoactive substance in cannabis. “The network produced marijuana strains with [ … ]
Colombian Navy Seizes More than 2.6 Tons of Drugs
In the last week of September, units of the Colombian Navy’s Pacific Naval Force seized more than 2.6 tons of drugs, including marijuana and cocaine, in three operations carried out in the Valle del Cauca department. The first seizure took place in the Punta Ají area, where units of the [ … ]
Brazil: Agents Seize Over 2 Tons of Cocaine Bound for Europe
In less than a week, the Brazilian Federal Police (PF, in Portuguese) seized close to 2,300 kilograms of cocaine bound for Europe. The shipments were found in three of the country’s main ports. On October 5, police officers seized 472 kg of cocaine at the Port of Salvador, in Bahia. “The [ … ]
Venezuela’s Crisis Threatens Nearby Democracies
Democracy must be restored in Venezuela because undermining a democracy anywhere is a threat to democracy everywhere, experts say. “This is a country where Maduro has not only taken over most of the bigger opposition parties and tried to replace their leadership with his puppets,” said on September 1, Michael [ … ]
Bolivia Seizes Nearly 453 Tons of Drugs in the Last 11 Months
From November 13, 2019 to October 12, 2020, the Bolivian Special Force to Fight Drug Trafficking (FELCN, in Spanish) seized more than 14.1 tons of cocaine and 438.6 tons of marijuana, totaling 452.7 tons of drugs. The FELCN made the announcement in a press release on October 13. During numerous [ … ]
Colombian, Ecuadorean Navies Seize Drugs and Capture Narcotraffickers
The Ecuadorean Navy reported the result of an operation achieved through binational collaboration, after the Colombian Navy provided intelligence to carry out the interdiction of a suspicious speedboat in the Pacific Ocean. “A total of 1,157 brick-type packages, each with 1,000 grams of controlled substances, a vessel, three engines, and [ … ]