Colombian President Iván Duque announced on June 23 that authorities captured the leader of a dissident group of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC, in Spanish), who withdrew from the peace process and is involved in the killing of indigenous people in the country’s southwest. The president congratulated the [ … ]
Transnational Threats
Armed Forces Disrupt Narcotrafficking Maritime Routes
According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’s report COVID-19 and the Drug Supply Chain: From Production and Trafficking to Use, the pandemic has greatly affected the methods criminals use to transport their shipments; there is an increase in narcotrafficking by sea, in semisubmersibles and speedboats. “COVID-19 measures [ … ]
Colombian Public Force Seizes about 8 Tons of Drugs in 1 Day
Despite the COVID-19 health crisis, the Colombian Public Force seized about 8 tons of drugs in operations carried out in different parts of the country on June 9. Service members and police agents seized nearly 5 tons of cocaine and 3 tons of marijuana. The Colombian National Police Counternarcotics Directorate [ … ]
Costa Rica Seizes More than 1 Metric Ton of Cocaine in the Caribbean
In a joint patrol effort, Costa Rican and U.S. authorities seized more than 1 metric ton of cocaine in two vessels in the Caribbean Sea on May 23. The seizures took place near the Cahuita and Manzanillo communities, in Limón province. [caption id="attachment_37983" align="alignleft" width="331"] Authorities also found 19 barrels [ … ]
US: Terrorist Incidents in Venezuela Reflect Growing ELN Presence
Terrorist incidents in Venezuela in 2019 reflected the growing presence and territorial control of the National Liberation Army (ELN, in Spanish), the U.S. Department of State said in its annual report presented June 24. The report shows an increase in confrontations between the ELN, other Colombian and Venezuelan illegal armed [ … ]
Colombia Offers Rewards for the Capture of Assassins of Social Leaders
“The Colombian Security Forces will continue to work to capture those most wanted for the killings of social leaders and former FARC [Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia] members, in cooperation with citizens,” Colombian Minister of Defense Carlos Holmes Trujillo García told Diálogo. “Our commitment is to confront these criminal structures [ … ]
Colombian Navy Intercepts More Than a Half-Ton of Cocaine in the Pacific
On the night of June 3, units of the Colombian Navy’s Coast Guard Station Buenaventura intercepted a type of go-fast boat speeding in the Pacific along the coast of the Valle del Cauca department. After a 30-minute chase and with the support of the ARC Corvette Nariño and a Colombian [ … ]
Peruvian Armed Forces Destroy 6 Cocaine Labs
Amid the coronavirus crisis, the Peruvian Armed Forces, together with the National Police, destroyed six cocaine laboratories in the Amazon region of Loreto, near the border with Colombia. The interventions, carried out in mid-May as part of operation Jupiter III against narcotrafficking, enabled authorities to seize supplies for drug production, [ … ]
USS Pinckney Freedom of Navigation Operation Challenges Venezuela’s Excessive Maritime Claim
On July 15, the U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Pinckney (DDG 91) challenged Venezuela’s excessive maritime claim in international waters during a successful freedom of navigation operation in the Caribbean Sea. The U.S. Navy previously contested Venezuela’s excessive claim June 23, when the USS Nitze (DDG 94) [ … ]
Colombian Military Forces Neutralize ELN Guerrilla Leader
The Colombian Military Forces neutralized a National Liberation Army (ELN in Spanish) leader believed to be the right-hand man of the main commander of this guerrilla group, known as the last insurgency in the country, President Iván Duque said on July 4. “Security forces have neutralized alias Dumar or alias [ … ]
Additional Sanctions Placed on Cuba as US Blacklists 7 Companies
The U.S. State Department placed additional sanctions on Cuba on June 3, blacklisting seven Cuban companies including the financial institution that handles U.S. remittances to the communist nation. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the seven Cuban military-controlled companies were added to the Cuba Restricted List, barring U.S. citizens [ … ]
Colombian Navy Offensive Against ELN Labs in Chocó
The Colombian Navy’s Pacific Naval Force reported the destruction of three cocaine hydrochloride labs, each capable of producing 2 metric tons per month, in an offensive against the narco-guerrilla group National Liberation Army (ELN, in Spanish). The operations took place in Chocó department, May 11-22. “Delegations of this war front, [ … ]