Newsbriefing-Week of 27 of August

Britain announced a 2 million pound ($2.6 million) scheme to help authorities stop at risk children falling into the grip of traffickers and gangs who force them to move drugs over ‘county lines’ from cities to rural areas. A historic summit between the President of Colombia, Duque, and his political rivals took place at La…

News Briefing-Week of 20 of August

Authorities in Mexico have made what is almost certainly the largest seizure of methamphetamine in the country’s history, approximately 50 metric tons, along with precursor chemicals and equipment in the western state of Sinaloa. This seizure suggests that growing US demand has encouraged Mexican crime groups to increase production. In one of the largest drug…

News Briefing- Week of 30 of July

The Costa-Rica Ministry of Public Security for surveillance against organised crime and illegal fishing will use a King Air 250 as a mobile radar to battle drug trafficking as well as to protect the marine life. Mexican police arrested Victor Manuel Perez, alias “Pantera 16” (Panther 16) or “Comandante Viento” (Commander Wind), regional leader of…

News Briefing- Week of 23 of July

Intelligence sources said the Urabeños drugs gang had put a 200m-peso ($70,000; £53,000) price on the German shepherd’s head after she found almost 10 tonnes of the gang’s cocaine. According to a new report from the watchdog agency Semáforo Delictivo and Lantia Consultores, executions linked to organised crime in Mexico have risen to record levels…

News Briefing- Week of 25 of June

Left-wing candidate Andrés Manuel López Obrador has claimed victory in Mexico’s presidential election, held on 1 July. One of his main policies is combating Mexico’s record levels of violence, much of it related to drug cartels. Epidiolex, a cannabis-based treatment for childhood epilepsy developed, is set to be launched in the autumn after being approved…

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 4 June

The European Drug Report 2018, released on 7 June by the EMCDDA, mentioned that the purity of street cocaine across Europe is at its highest level in a decade and that the number of people seeking treatment for cocaine addiction has risen. Solution to fight illegal drugs can be country-specific, as the 3-year Mexico-Filipino cooperation…

CRIMJUST promotes exchange with Mexican Police and General Prosecutor

CRIMJUST partner countries met, between 28 and 29 August, with representatives of the Mexican Federal Police and the General Prosecutor of the Republic in Mexico to exchange best practices in effectively tackling drug trafficking. Aimed at enhancing regional and south-south cooperation, CRIMJUST in collaboration with the UNODC Mexico regional office, organised an exchange visit to…