- The sixth Latin American and first Caribbean Conference on Drug Policy took place between 5 and 6 October in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The conference provided a room for debate and evaluation of drug policies, as well as for discussing concrete policies to be implemented in order to fight against illicit drugs.
- It is estimated that the EU aid to Peru amounts to €32 million designated to fight illicit drug trafficking and production, declared EU Ambassador to Peru. Within the framework of the anti-drug strategy, the EU also provides support in order to improve control at airports and ports, as well as for actions of the Judiciary and Prosecutor’s Office.
- Two Brazilian nationals were arrested at Eleftherios Venizelos Athens International Airport, for intending to smuggle 2.240 kilos of cocaine. Reportedly, they were part of a large drug trafficking ring in charge of transferring cocaine from Latin America into Greece.
- A recent policy briefing published by Transnational Institute highlights the weight of Paraguay as the principal producer and significant supplier of cannabis in South America. The absence of state policy intervention, in addition to corruption, poverty and lack of agrarian policies are considered key issues for the situation.
- The Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) have signed a memorandum to effectively fight against illicit drug trafficking, related organised crime, corruption, terrorism and drug abuse in West Africa. Threats such as transnational organised crime, illicit drug trafficking, terrorism, corruption, laundering of financial assets and weakness in the criminal justice system are currently obstacles towards reforms.
- A former navy chief of Guinea-Bissau, previously arrested in a drug case, was sentenced to four years in prison for conspiring to facilitate the shipment of cocaine to the United States. Allegedly, hundreds of kilograms of cocaine were to be sent from South America to Guinea Bissau.
