On Monday, the U.S Customs and Border Protection announced the seizure of 1.5 tonnes of cocaine, the biggest shipment of cocaine seized in New York and New Jersey in 25 years, in the Port of New York-Newark. The cocaine, which has an estimated street value of $77 million, was hidden in a shipping container originating…
The trial of the “Air Cocaine” drug-trafficking case started on 18 February in Aix-en-Provence, France. The case involves the seizure of 680 kilos of cocaine on board of a private jet in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic back in 2013. Both the pilots and passengers are facing up severe sentences. The kidnapping and assassination of three…
In 2018, the port of Rotterdam reached a peak in cocaine seizure with 19 tonnes. Of these, 4 tonnes were secured in December only. Most of the loads seized come from South America. On Tuesday, the UN Security Council discussed the pressing issue of transnational maritime crime. At this occasion the UNODC director highlighted the…
SEACOP officers and partners from Latin America, Africa and the Caribbean met in Natal, Brazil on November 27, 28 and 29. It was the first time that professionals from the Maritime Intelligence Units (MIU) had exchanged experience and good practice at a trans-regional level. During the workshop, the participants reviewed recent MIU led cases involving…
In Costa Rica, 2018 ended with a seizure of nearly a tonne of cocaine at sea. The operation was conducted by the Costa Rican Coast Guard Service in the South Pacific area of the country, close to the Panamanian border. This brings the total seizures for 2018 to 33.5 tonnes. Jair Bolsonaro, who began his…
14 people were arrested in San Matías, a Bolivian city located near the Brazilian border. The arrests took place during an operation conducted by the Bolivian security forces to take control over the city after they were chased from it in June. The city is described as a “crime hotspot” for both Brazilian and Bolivian…
Operation Lionfish, an INTERPOL-led global effort against trafficking of illicit substances and drugs, was launched between 17 September and 8 October 2018, simultaneously across 93 countries. The operation resulted in the seizure of more than 55 tonnes of illicit substances including 35 tonnes of cocaine, five tonnes of heroin, 15 tonnes of cannabis and 430,000…
A report from the International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC) critically analysed the UNODC 10-years plan to tackle drug trafficking and highlighted the human cost of the international war on drugs. According to the IDPC, despite UN efforts, drug-related deaths have increased 145% in the last decade. The US Department of Justice revealed a list of…
CRIMJUST and the Brazilian Federal Prosecution Services gathered on 15-19 October 2018 in Vienna, Austria, at the 9th Conference of the Parties to the Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (COP9) to announce the implementation of joint working groups aimed at fighting transnational crime in Latin America. …
Under the framework of CRIMJUST, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) delivered a workshop in International Judicial Cooperation in cases of organised crime, drug trafficking and money laundering, in collaboration with the National Commission for Development and Life Without Drugs (DEVIDA PERU) and the Iberoamerican Network of Anti-Drug Prosecutors (RFAI), on 26-28…
