On Tuesday, SEACOP Team Leader Dominique Bucas signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of National Security of Jamaica. The Memorandum of Understanding marks the continuation of a long-standing collaboration in the fight against drug trafficking in the Caribbean Speaking during the ceremony, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of National Security, Courtney Williams, said the signing…
On 25 April 2022, the Colombian National Police seized about 200 kilograms of cocaine hidden in a container in Buenaventura, coming from Ecuador. Adapting to emerging threats due to increased contamination in the high seas on the Pacific area bound for Europe, the SEACOP project is exerting renewed efforts to support institutions combating drug trafficking…
18/04 The global environmental impacts of cocaine. The environmental impacts of cocaine have long been known. Studies raised alarm bells in the 1990s over narco-driven deforestation, soil degradation and pollution in Latin America. Today, the impacts all along the illegal drug supply chain are even better understood and documented but remain underrecognized and underreported. 21/04…
11/04 Human trafficking gang exploiting South American victims busted in France and Spain. The French Border Police (Police National/Police aux frontiers) and the Spanish National Police (Policía Nacional), supported by Europol, dismantled a criminal network involved in human trafficking for sexual exploitation. The investigation resulted in a simultaneous action day in France and Spain on…
07/04 Cape Verdean police seize over 5 tonnes of cocaine. Cape Verdean police seized more than five tonnes of cocaine at sea onboard a fishing boat from Brazil, with the help of American agents. 09/04 Major cocaine smuggling gang busted in Algeciras with 3,500 kilos of the drug found. A joint operation involving officers from…
Last week, SEACOP Regional Coordinator for the Caribbean Karen Clarke organised a national steering committee with local partners in St Kitts and Nevis. The NSC aimed to discuss a number of issues relevant to the partnership between the project and the partner country. Most specifically, the NSC covered the launch of the latest and fifth…
Team Leader of SEACOP Dominique Bucas and Regional Coordinator for West Africa Eric Wiart conducted a field visit of the COSMAR (Operational Centre for Maritime Surveillance) of Praia. Later on, they organised a national steering committee in the presence of the Director of the Judicial Police and representatives of the EU Delegation.The NSC brought together various agencies involved…
Last week, SEACOP Regional Coordinator for the Caribbean Karen Clarke attended the international seminar titled “The fight against cocaine trafficking by sea in the Caribbean” held in Martinique on 28-30 March 2022. Hosted by French Customs and MAOC with significant contributions from partner projects including SEACOP, the event witnessed lively exchanges of expertise and good practices between…
Earlier this week, SEACOP contributed to the successful seizure of 134 kilograms of cocaine in Panama. The seizure was made possible by the collaborative work between the Maritime Intelligence Unit of SEACOP in Ecuador, the FRONTEX agency, the Panamanian CCP Unit and the Colombian and Panamanian authorities. Intelligence was initially gathered by the MIU of…
28/03 Maritime piracy in the Gulf of Guinea. The rapid rise of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea poses a threat to regional security and could fuel jihadist movements coming from inland. 30/03 Armenian criminal gang dismantled in France over counterfeit cigarettes. A total of 11 individuals suspected of being part of an Armenian organised…
