During the first half of 2020, law enforcement forces carried out 31 operations to combat human trafficking in Peru, rescuing 437 peruvian victims (including 68 minors) and 71 foreigners (including eight minors). The Peruvian Police Directorate for the Investigation of Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants published this information [ … ]
Transnational Threats
Argentina: Security Forces Rescue Human Trafficking Victims
The Argentine National Gendarmerie dismantled a human trafficking network and rescued seven women age 18 to 25 who were being sexually exploited in Salta province. The operation took place in mid-July, when the force raided residences that offered sexual services. Gendarmerie agents detained two women (the gang leader and the [ … ]
Maduro Welcomes Terrorist Groups to Venezuela, Says Report
The Maduro regime encourages international terrorist groups to run free in Venezuela, according to a U.S. Department of State report. The Country Reports on Terrorism 2019, released June 24, documents Colombian and religious terrorist organizations inside of Venezuela that are not only permitted to operate in the country but encouraged [ … ]
Colombia Strengthens Fight Against Recruitment of Minors
For Colombian service members, protecting minors from forced recruitment by criminal groups has become a priority. “In 2020, the Army rescued some 200 minors that illegal groups had recruited,” General Eduardo Enrique Zapateiro, commander of the Colombian Army, told the press on July 2. “The operations were coordinated with the [ … ]
Peru: Security Forces Neutralize 4 Shining Path Members
On August 24, troops of the Peruvian Armed Forces and the National Police neutralized four Shining Path terrorists in the coca-growing region of the Apurímac, Ene, and Mantaro Rivers Valley (VRAEM, in Spanish). Alias Cirilo, the group’s leader, and aliases Roger, Wilmer, and Alejandro were neutralized. [caption id="attachment_39407" align="alignright" width="383"] [ … ]
Peru: Service Members Strengthen Fight Against Narcotrafficking in VRAEM
Amid the state of emergency due to COVID-19, the Peruvian Armed Forces have taken on a triple battle against terrorism, narcotrafficking, and the pandemic. [caption id="attachment_39389" align="alignleft" width="300"] In July, the Peruvian Armed Forces destroyed 17 clandestine airstrips that narcotraffickers used in the VRAEM region. (Photo: Peruvian Armed Forces Joint [ … ]
Half a Million Weapons Seized Per Year, According to United Nations Study
Arms trafficking is one of the main global safety challenges. The Global Study on Firearms Trafficking 2020 points out that weapons contribute to violence and “they are often used by organized crime and they support operations related to armed conflicts and terrorism.” The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime [ … ]
USS Kidd, U.S. Coast Guard, Apprehend Three Smugglers in the Caribbean Sea
The U.S. Coast Guard, Navy, and U.S. law enforcement partners seized 225 kilograms of cocaine and apprehended three suspected smugglers following the interdiction of a drug smuggling go-fast in the Caribbean Sea, on August 31. The interdiction is the result of an international, multiagency law enforcement effort in support of [ … ]
Paraguay Seizes More than 46 Tons of Illegal Drugs in a Week
The fight against narcotrafficking in Paraguay continues. In late July, the Paraguayan National Anti-Drug Secretariat (SENAD, in Spanish), in cooperation with the Armed Forces, seized and destroyed more than 46 tons of drugs in several operations carried out nationwide. “SENAD, together with the Navy, the JTF [Joint Task Force], and [ … ]
Ecstasy Seizures in Chile Are on the Rise
Ecstasy seizures in Chile have increased drastically, rising from about 400,000 doses to more than 1.2 million between 2018 and 2019, according to the Office of the Attorney General’s Narcotrafficking Observatory of Chile 2020 Report, published on July 29. The report also notes the proliferation nationwide of labs for synthetic [ … ]
Costa Rica Seizes More Than 4 Tons of Cocaine in 3 Operations
Close collaboration between Costa Rica, Colombia, Panama, and the United States in July 2020 led to the seizure of more than 4 tons of cocaine in three operations. On July 25, the Costa Rican Judicial Investigation Department reported the interdiction of two vehicles carrying 855 kilograms of cocaine in Puntarenas [ … ]
Uruguay Says Venezuela Is a Dictatorship and Will Discontinue Talks with Maduro
The new Uruguayan Foreign Minister Francisco Bustillo introduced the course of action that will guide his tenure and the foreign policy of the government of President Luis Lacalle Pou. In this respect, he announced changes in the country’s strategy on Venezuela, and made it clear that the Nicolás Maduro regime [ … ]