News briefing – Week of 10 July
According to new figures from the UNODC, Colombia is witnessing a significant upsurge
News briefing – Week of 19 June
According to the World Drug Report 2017 from the UNODC, the global illicit drug market is
News briefing – Week of 15 May
Spanish and Ecuadorian authorities seized 5 tonnes of cocaine hidden in a cargo vessel at Santa Elena, Ecuador, and bound to Spain via Panama. The haul is estimated at $250m and is considered as one of the largest cocaine seizures to date. Twenty individuals were arrested on charges of drug trafficking.
News briefing – Week of 8 May
The government of Guatemala declared a state of emergency in the Ixchiguan and Tajumulco municipalities, at the border of Mexico, which have known a surge in drug-related violence, Guatemala being a transit hub for Mexican and South American drug cartels. Troops will be sent to the two cities to prevent criminal gangs from operating.
“Supervision with a Risk-Based Approach for Financial and Non-Financial entities” discussed in Peru
“Supervision with a Risk-Based Approach for Financial and Non-Financial entities” was the theme of a workshop aimed at the Andean sub-region
News briefing – Week of 17 April
Colombian authorities arrested William Rafael Vargas Maestre in Armenia (Colombia), one of Spain’s most wanted suspects in drug trafficking, who had been on the run since February 2016. With the help of Spanish law enforcement, the Colombian drug trafficking ring led by Vargas was dismantled and led to the arrest of 24 suspects. Mauritius’ Prime…
News briefing – Week of 20 March
According to the latest International Narcotics Control Strategy Report on Drug and Chemical Control, released by the U.S. State Department, a list of five Caribbean nations has been sent to the U.S. Congress by US President Trump, naming ‘major illicit drug producing and/or drug-transit countries.’ This includes the Bahamas, Haiti, Belize, the Dominican Republic and…
News briefing – Week of 27 March
Colombian police seized more than 6 tons of cocaine in the Caribbean port of Barranquilla bound for Spain. Colombian Defence Minister Luis Carlos Villegas confirmed that the shipment, worth €200 million, was carried out by several drug cartels, including El Clan del Golfo. The seizure represents the third largest cocaine seizure in the history of…
News briefings – Week of 9 January
During the final congressional session of 2016, the government of Argentina submitted plans in order to modify the country’s anti-narcotics law. The reform – if approved – would increase penalties for the production, trafficking and supply of paco, the smokeable paste at intermediary stage in processing cocaine. The post-conflict minister of Colombia acknowledged that coca…
News briefing – Week of 5 December
The Crime Rate Index for 2016 listed Mexico as the third most dangerous country in the world due to the violence created by drug-related organized crime, with the country ranked higher than countries currently at war. Ecuadorean Police seized around 10 metric tons of cocaine at Guayaquil port, which could mean the country may become…