Colombian Military, U.S Army Civil Affairs Team Up to Help Colombian Residents
In the town of La Macarena, located 170 miles south of Bogotá, medical services are scarce for residents.
Drug Traffickers Linked to Disturbances in Guatemalan Town
Guatemalan President Otto Pérez stated on May 2 that drug traffickers were behind the disturbances in an indigenous town on the border with Mexico on May 1, which forced the government to decree a state of emergency for 30 days.
Salvadoran Gangs Solidify Truce with End to Youth Recruitment
On May 2, Salvadoran gangs promised to halt forced recruitment of young people and declared schools “peace zones,” in an unprecedented act that comes in the context of a truce that began in March, but about which analysts remain skeptical.
French Reporter in FARC’s Power in Colombia
The Colombian Army confirmed on May 2 that French journalist Romeo Langlois of the France 24 television network has been captured by the narco-terrorist organization FARC, and decided to suspend Military operations in the area in order to facilitate his handover.
Brazil To Buy River Boats from Colombia To Strengthen Regional Defense
Brazil will buy four river boats from Colombia in 2012, Brazilian Defense Minister Celso Amorim announced in Bogotá on May 2, in an initiative considered an important step toward achieving a regional defense alliance.
Chilean Training Ship Esmeralda Begins 57th Instructional Voyage
Chilean President Sebastián Piñera, accompanied by Defense Minister Andrés Allamand and by the commander-in-chief of the Navy, Admiral Edmundo González, saw off the training ship Esmeralda at the start of its 57th instructional voyage, which will last 260 days.
Six Alleged Drug Traffickers Arrested and 800 Kilos of Cocaine Seized in Guatemala
On May 1, Guatemalan anti-drug agents arrested six alleged drug traffickers, three from Ecuador and three from Guatemala, as they were transporting around 800 kilos of cocaine by boat, off the Central American country’s Pacific coast.
Santos Holds FARC Responsible for Disappearance of French Journalist
On April 30, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos held the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) responsible for the disappearance of French journalist Romeo Langlois on April 28 and demanded that the communist guerrilla group release him as soon as possible.
Brazilian Navy Ships Return from Antarctica
The Brazilian Navy’s oceanographic support vessel Ary Rongel, under the command of Captain Marcelo Luis Seabra Pinto, and the polar vessel Almirante Maximiano, under the command of Captain Newton Calvoso Pinto Homem, docked on April 30, at the Rio de Janeiro Naval Shipyard after concluding the 30...
Military Helicopter Accident Leaves 13 Dead in Colombia
A Colombian Air Force (FAC) helicopter crashed in the northern part of the country on April 30, leaving 13 dead, seven Military personnel and six police officers, while the cause of the accident is not yet known, a statement by the Military branch announced.
Unasur Ministers To Discuss Regional Security
Approximately 30 Defense, Interior, and Foreign ministers from the Union of South American Nations (Unasur) will discuss the fight against transnational organized crime and security in the region at a meeting in Cartagena, on the Colombian Caribbean, on May 3 and 4.
Spain Seizes 708 Kg of Cocaine Coming from the Dominican Republic
The Spanish Civil Guard announced the seizure of 708 kilos of cocaine at the port of Barcelona, hidden in a container of coconuts coming from the Dominican Republic.
USS Elrod Recovers 4,840 Pounds of Drugs in Caribbean
Guided missile frigate USS Elrod (FFG 55) with an embarked U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) recovered 89 bales of cocaine in support of Operation Martillo on April 20 in the Western Caribbean Sea.
Colombia and Ecuador Collaborate to Arrest FARC Terrorists
Information supplied by the Colombian National Navy enabled troops from the 55th Jungle Battalion of the Ecuadorean Army to arrest two terrorists belonging to Front 48 of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia in the area of Lorenzó.
Central American Business Leaders Ask for Support to Combat Violence and Smuggling
On April 26, business leaders from Central America and the Dominican Republic called on their Governments to support plans by the private sector and the police to combat smuggling, extortion, and violence in the region.
Peruvian Police Officer Missing in Combat with Guerrilla Group Turns Up Alive
One of the two police officers reported missing two weeks ago while engaged in operations against the Shining Path guerrilla group in southeastern Peru turned up alive on April 29, the interior minister announced.
Cocaine Flights Leaving South America Often Land in Honduras
About 79 percent of cocaine flights that take off from South American airstrips land in Honduras, according to the U.S. Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.
West Africa: New Transit Point in South America-Europe Drug Trade
Colombia will assist West African countries with law-enforcement training to combat organized crime — especially money laundering and drug trafficking.
Brazil to Boost Military Presence to Protect Amazon Wealth
Brazil will boost its military presence in the Amazon region to protect its huge natural resources from any external threat, Defense Minister Celso Amorim told the Senate on April 26.
Interventions in Latin America are Over, Says Allamand with Panetta
The days of military interventions have ended in Latin America, and no country in the world can guarantee international security on its own, Chilean Defense Minister Andrés Allamand declared at a joint press conference with his U.S. counterpart Leon Panetta on April 26.
UNICEF Condemns Use of Children by Shining Path
UNICEF the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime delegate in Peru condemned the kidnapping and use of children in violent actions by Shining Path on April 25.
Panetta Says Violent Extremism Threatens Latin America
Even in a region where some of the United States’ closest military partners are steadily improving national stability and security, the threat of violent extremism is spreading, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said in Brasilia on April 24.
Colombian Drug Kingpin Gets 40 Years in US Jail
A Colombian drug lord extradited to the United States for trial was sentenced on April 25 to 40 years in prison, prosecutors said.
US Seeks to Redefine Its Anti-Drug Strategy in Latin America
U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta’s Latin American trip fits into a strategy of reducing costs and sharing responsibilities in the anti-drug fight, and Colombia is signing on as the chief U.S. ally in the region, analysts meeting in Mexico indicated.
US Intercepts 2.200 Kilograms of Cocaine in the Caribbean
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office reconnaissance P-3 airplane, operating out of National Air Security Operations Center-Jacksonville (NASOC-JAX), detected two go-fast vessels carrying more than 2,200 kilograms of cocaine with a combined value of more than $362 million.
Peruvian Police Seize Eight Tons of Drugs from January to April
The police seized around eight tons of drugs in 3,862 operations from January to April, the anti-drug director of the Peruvian National Police (Dirandro), Walter Sánchez, told the press on April 23.
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