News Briefing – Week of 20 July

20/07/2020 – Mexico’s Ministry of Security and Citizen Protection and EUROPOL concluded a formal Working Arrangement to expand their collaboration on security matters. 21/07/2020 – Costa Rican and Honduran authorities seized almost three tonnes of cocaine. Costa Rican authorities seized two tonnes in national waters on board a ship in collaboration with US and Colombian authorities whilst Honduras intercepted a…

News briefing – Week of 13 July

14/07/2020 – The former Surinamese minister of Justice, Chandrikapersad Santokhi, has been elected president of Suriname. 13/07/2020 – Guinea has issued an arrest warrant against a Guinean citizen residing in Germany who is allegedly involved in the forging of visas. Guinean customs had previously seized 7300 stamped visas in a truck that had traveled from Germany. 14/07/2020…

News Briefing – Week of 25 May

  25/05/2020 – Moroccan authorities are analysing seizures made in 2019. It is reported that 119 tonnes of cannabis were seized as well as 13.5 million cigarettes and 680 000 pills that indicate psychotropic substances.   25/05/2020 – The Colombian army discovered 516kgs of cocaine hidden in 5 plastic containers. It is believed that the now seized drugs were…

News Briefing – Week of 23 March

  Several prisoners escaped from four Brazilian prisons after authorities announced the suspension of the one-day release programme. This decision was taken as a preventive measure to avoid the spread of the Coronavirus, COVID-19.   Honduras is becoming a cocaine producing country in addition to being a transit country.  Reporting indicates that, between 2009 and 2020,  12…

News Briefing-Week of 11 of June

Conservative candidate Ivan Duque has won Colombia’s presidential runoff election on 17 June 2018. Duque’s presidential agenda included next to the peace deal also narco-trafficking. Colombia’s production of cocaine has increased, and armed groups are fighting each other for control of routes once controlled by FARC. The cocaine kingpin, Edgar Valdez Villarreal, known as “La…

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…