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…
Uruguay, the first country to legalise recreational use of marijuana, becomes the first in Latin America to export it for medicinal purposes. Germany is set to be its first client. The United-Kingdom is currently dominating exports in medicinal marijuana. Americas Quarterly highlights the 3 measures Brazil should take to stem organised crime. First, build new…
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…
The increase of cocaine production in Colombia has boosted the vulnerability of the Panamanian maritime transport industry. In 2018, the authorities of Colón arrested 330 people and seized 12 tonnes of cocaine, half of it in the port terminals. On the other side of the route, the ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp have registered an…
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…
Nearly 750 military staff, mostly low-ranking officers, have reportedly perished since the Mexican government launched the “war on drugs” in 2006. Tamaulipas, a state located on the US-Mexico border accounts for the state where most of the most military deaths occurred. The Romanian police seized more than a ton of high-quality cocaine in a boat…
During the ministerial segment of the 62nd session of the CND, the Gambian Minister of the Interior announced that his government firmly opposed the decriminalisation of cannabis use highlighting that the drug was responsible for most of the drug-connected crimes in the Gambia. On Monday, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro started off his official visit to…
In coordination with the National Gendarmerie of Argentina, the Bolivian police arrested in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, an Argentinian drug-trafficker dubbed the “Chapo Guzmán” of South America. The man was reportedly trafficking drugs from Bolivia to Argentina using small planes and he had managed to escape from jail several times with the help…
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…
AIRCOP, a component project within the Cocaine Route Programme along with CRIMJUST and SEACOP, is led by UNODC in partnership with Interpol and the World Customs Organisation. AIRCOP operates in 31 countries, covering 35 airports. The 6th Global AIRCOP meeting was held between 11-13 February 2019 at Interpol HQ, Lyon, France. This is event marked…
