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.
U.S. Coast Guard seized more than 1.700 kilos of cocaine with an estimated value of $56 million along the Central American coastline. The seizure was part of the international operation Martillo, launched in 2012 and which has so far intercepted about 700 metric tonnes of cocaine.
12.000 kilos of cocaine worth $400 million were seized, 14 vessels were intercepted and 40 suspected smugglers were arrested off the Pacific coast of South and Central America by U.S. Coast Guard. The seizure was part of a successful three-month counter-drug mission which involved multiple law enforcement and military agencies.
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…
German police seized more than 800 pounds of cocaine (380 kilograms) in Cologne, dissimulated in cases of bananas shipped from Ecuador. The haul represents the biggest seizure in the history of the city. 26 employees of American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and DHL, as well as airport cleaning services and restaurant workers have been arrested at…
Venezuela’s capital Caracas has been ranked by the Citizen’s Council for Public Security and Criminal Justice (CCSPJP) as the world’s deadliest city for a second year in a row, with a homicide rate of 130 per 100.000 inhabitants. The city is notorious for its high rates of street and organised crime, becoming a major drug…
Operation Lionfish III, an international police operation across Latin America and West Africa, conducted between 6 and 15 March, led to more than 350 arrests and seizure of 52 tonnes of illicit drugs. In addition to cannabis and heroin 25 tonnes of cocaine were seized estimated to be worth approximately USD 950 million.
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…
Data from Argentina’s Attorney General Office reveals that more than a third of money laundering cases since 2013 were linked to drug trafficking, informs Insight Crime. According to one of the two prosecutors of the Economic Crime and Money Laundering Bureau (Procuraduría de Criminalidad Económica y Lavado de Activos – PROCELAC), the fact that such…
Reportedly, there are 440 organized crime groups operating in Spain, out of the 3,600 identified in all of Europe, as indicated by experts from the Spanish Guardia Civil and the National Police. The majority of those criminal groups are dedicated to drug trafficking and fraud. Ten organised crime groups in Spain are labeled as “high…
