On June 14th, the World Customs Organisation (WCO) hosted the first COLIBRI Steering Committee at its headquarters in Brussels. The meeting was attended by representatives of the WCO, the European Commission as well as the COLIBRI and CORMS project teams. This meeting was the opportunity to discuss COLIBRI’s achievements since the start of the project…
From 18-19 of June, CORMS took part in COPOLAD (Cooperation Programme on Drugs Policies) 4th Annual Conference in Suriname. The conference brought together over a hundred participants from 45 European, Latin American and Caribbean countries to exchange on drugs policy. This year’s topic was Inter-institutional coordination in drugs policy. The conference focused on addressing the…
CRIMJUST, a Cocaine Route Programme component, took part in the 28th Session of the United Nations Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) in Vienna, Austria, on 21 May. It was a unique opportunity for CRIMJUST to present, together with the Integrated Illicit Crop Monitoring System Project of the UNODC Office in Colombia, the…
The Cocaine Route Programme (CRP) has enlarged its mandate and perspectives in its fight against organised crime and drug trafficking with its newest component “COLIBRI: Monitoring and Controlling General Aviation along the Cocaine Route”. The COLIBRI Project aims at combating more effectively organised crime and the challenges raised by cocaine trafficking on the vector of…
Operation Orion, the Colombia-led multinational anti-narcotics operation has seized 94.2 tonnes of cocaine in its third phase, over a period of 105 days. The seizure is estimated around $3.2 billion. 26.7 tonnes or marijuana valued at $133.7 million were also seized. Orion is a joint naval operation involving 18 countries from Latin America, Europe and…
From 22 to 26 April 2019, Joint Airport Interdiction Task Forces from 8 countries from Latin America and the Caribbean benefitted from a regional online interactive training on intelligence and analysis for border control management at international airports, alongside other law enforcement officers. Overall, 120 persons from Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Barbados, Bolivia, Colombia, the…
From 18 to 25 March, the Bolivian Vice Ministry of Social Defence and Controlled Substances and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) launched a cycle of training aimed at reinforcing capacities on asset forfeiture linked to drug trafficking. Asset forfeiture, or asset seizure, is a form of confiscation undertaken by a state…
On April 1, the Ecuadorian authorities detected an aircraft reportedly carrying drugs and making an unauthorized landing in the province of Manabí. Although the plane managed to escape, nine alleged drug traffickers were arrested and US $ 200,000, four firearms and several vehicles were seized. Despite the efforts of the authorities, the “narco-flights” remain a…
From 26 to 29 of March, the regional coordinator of SEACOP for the Caribbean attended the annual Caribbean Basin Coastal Surveillance and Maritime Security Summit (CABSEC) and South-American Security Summit (SAMSEC) combined forum on maritime security organised by the Barbados Defence Force. This year, the forum focused on promoting regional cooperation and countering transnational threats. On the second…
The mission of the Cocaine Route Monitoring and Support (CORMS) on seaport cooperation’s state of play in five Latin American countries kicked-off in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where the team attended the second Regional Workshop for Maritime Intelligence Units (MIUs) organised by the SEACOP project from March 19 to 21. The event was opened by a representative of the EU delegation to…
