In recent months, the price of coca, the raw plant used to make cocaine, collapsed by as much as 50 percent in Colombia, while coca buyers have seemingly all but disappeared. In the country’s most impoverished regions, where hundreds of thousands of families depend on the crop for their livelihood, [ … ]
Transnational Threats
US Coast Guard Offloads More Than $186 Million in Illegal Narcotics
U.S. Coast Guard Seventh District The crew of U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Bear (WMEC 901) offloaded more than 14,153 pounds of cocaine worth more than $186 million in Miami, June 16. The offloaded drugs were interdicted during nine separate cases in the international waters of the Caribbean Sea and the [ … ]
Panama Strengthens Actions Against Narcotrafficking
So far this year, until the first half of June, Panamanian security forces have carried out 119 anti-drug operations, Panamanian Public Security Minister Juan Manuel Pino told the press. “We seized more than 27 tons of drugs, mostly cocaine, of which more than 9 tons were seized in the province [ … ]
US and Brazilian Marines Share Best Practices on Training Female Recruits
The United States Marine Corps hosted a delegation of Brazilian Marines at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) Parris Island, South Carolina, to discuss and observe how the Marine Corps is integrating male and female recruits on their path to becoming Marines. The visit, June 5-9, 2023, was designed to [ … ]
SOUTHCOM Commander Visits Dominican Republic
U.S. Army General Laura J. Richardson, commander of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), visited the Dominican Republic June 21-22, meeting with Dominican President Luis Abinader and military leaders to discuss security cooperation. Gen. Richardson also visited the Fuerzas Comando 2023 multinational exercise and Special Operations skills competition being held in the [ … ]
ELN to Continue Kidnappings Despite Ceasefire
Despite the ceasefire agreement between the Colombian government and the Colombian National Army (ELN) on June 9 in Havana, Cuba, the armed group indicated that it will continue with kidnappings as they are not explicitly prohibited in the agreement. The “bilateral, national, and temporary” ceasefire, the result of several months [ … ]
Partner Nations Excel in Multinational Humanitarian Assistance Exercise in Panama
From earthquakes and volcanic activity to forest fires and tropical storms, the variety of natural disaster threats that Central America constantly faces is endless. From June 13-16, members of Joint Task Force Bravo (JTF-Bravo), located out of Soto Cano Air Base in Honduras, traveled to Panama City to participate in [ … ]
China in Latin America: Investments, Loans, and Loss of Sovereignty
China’s economic activities in Latin America are changing. Its focus on gaining access to the hemisphere’s natural resources, which drove its investments during the first decade and a half of the century, has expanded to a portfolio that includes renewable energy generation, telecommunications, electricity distribution, and even ridesharing companies. “China’s [ … ]
Panama and JTF-Bravo Conduct Humanitarian Exercise Keel Billed Toucan
Seven helicopters of U.S. Southern Command’s (SOUTHCOM) Joint Task Force Bravo (JTF-Bravo), together with units from the Panamanian National Border Service (SENAFRONT) and the Panamanian National Air and Naval Service (SENAN), completed exercise Keel Billed Toucan 2023 (KBT23) — known in Panama as Mercurio V — transporting 15.3 tons of [ … ]
Brazilian Air Force Brings Security and Care in the Amazon Region
The Brazilian Air Force (FAB) brought much-needed medical assistance to communities along the Negro River, in the cities of Moura and Barcelos, in the state of Amazonas. The Logistics, Health and Operational Quartermaster Employment Campaign Exercise (EXCELSIOR), May 26-June 4, assisted some 600 people a day, exceeding expectations, the FAB [ … ]
SOUTHCOM Commander Meets with Leaders in Panama
The commander of U.S. Southern Command, U.S. Army General Laura J. Richardson, visited Panama June 14-16, to meet with leaders and reaffirm the close security partnership between the United States and Panama and visit the humanitarian and disaster relief exercise led by the Coordination Center for the Prevention of Disasters in [ … ]
Argentina to Combat Organized Crime with FBI Support
The government of Argentina signed an agreement with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to join forces in the fight against organized crime, the Argentine Ministry of Security announced. “A healthy return to the policy of international coordination in security matters, which began in 2015, is being carried out through [ … ]