REGIONAL NEWS - Dialogo forum Breaking News From South America the Caribbean

Bolivia Seizes 7.7 Tons of Cocaine This Year

From January to date, the Bolivian police seized 7.7 tons of cocaine – paste and hydrochloride – of which 50% came from Peru, Counter Drug Chief Col. Gonzalo Quezada reported on May 20, in La Paz.

Mexico Deploys 5,000 Troops and Police in Michoacán

A group of 5,000 Soldiers and Federal Police members arrived in the troubled state of Michoacán, an area in western Mexico, on May 20, in order to deter violence generated by drug trafficking cartels and armed groups, which present themselves as self-defense groups, official sources said.

Panamanian Security Forces Unite against Drug Trafficking

The 8th Central American Security Conference (CENTSEC) was held in April in Panama, a nation that could be seriously affected by budgetary cuts in the United States if Panamax, an annual exercise aimed at training Western Hemisphere militaries to protect the Panama Canal, is cancelled. Diálogo in...

Military Assumes Security in Troubled Mexican Region

On May 16, a Mexican Army general was appointed head of security in Miochoacán, an area in western Mexico troubled by the emergence of armed groups that present themselves as self-defense groups.

Costa Rica Seizes 400 Kilos of Drugs at Nicaraguan Border

Costa Rican authorities seized a shipment of 406 kilos of cocaine hidden in a truck heading to Nicaragua, the Drug Control Police (PCD) reported.

FARC Peace Talks: Northern Ireland Could Hold Answers, Analysts Say

The May 15 resumption of peace talks in Cuba between Colombia’s government and Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels has sparked renewed optimism that a settlement to the 60-year-old armed conflict is within sight. But the road map to peace remains obscured by unanswered questions ...

The Fight against Drug Trafficking is a Fight for Democracy

When Mr. Mario Zamora took office as Costa Rica’s Minister of Public Security on May 1, 2011, he said that his goal was to restrain increased crime rates, as well as to reduce the level of violence exerted in crimes throughout the country.

Suriname Defense Ministry Boosts Spending, Cooperation with Pentagon

Suriname has announced the $2.4 million purchase of 75 armored and luxury vehicles for the nation’s army, police, customs and intelligence departments.

Uruguay Crime Rates Rising as Guns Proliferate in Once-Peaceful Nation

Uruguay, historically one of South America’s least violent countries, now averages one homicide per day, says Observatorio FundaPro, a security research organization based in Montevideo.

Four ELN Guerrillas Killed in Colombia

Four guerrillas from the National Liberation Army (ELN) were killed, and another one was captured during an armed confrontation that took place in a rural area of the department of Arauca, bordering Venezuela, the Colombian Army reported on May 15.

Colombian Police Will Pay for Videos and Photos Depicting Criminal Activity

The Colombian National Police Office for Citizen Security has created an email address to send videos and photographs showing criminal activity, such as the sale of drugs and theft against people, households, and commercial premises.

Ecuador Works With U.S. and Mexico to Foil Cocaine Smuggling Network

Authorities in Ecuador have thwarted a major cocaine producing and smuggling network that had links to Mexico’s Sinaloa drug cartel, government officials said.

Action Targets Major Narcotics Trafficker who Operated on U.S. Border

On May 14, the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced the inclusion of Mexican national Alfredo Andrade Parra on the list of Foreign Narcotics Kingpins pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (Kingpin Act) for his significant role in international narcotics trafficking and fo...

Confrontation in Colombia Leaves Six Dead

Five guerrillas from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and a police officer were killed during armed confrontations and attacks in different regions of Colombia, just before the peace talks between this insurgency and the national government resumed in Havana, authorities reported...

Belize Plays a Major Role in Information Sharing in “Operation Martillo”

Almost 18 months after launch, “Operation Martillo” (Hammer”) has proven to be a big hit (no pun intended) if you ask the personnel involved in this huge effort to counter transnational organized crime in the waters of the Caribbean. Among these countries is Belize, which has been a key player wh...

Leader of Mexico’s Gulf Cartel Sentenced to 35 Years

Aureliano Cano Flores, one of Mexico’s notorious Gulf Cartel leaders, was sentenced to 35 years in prison for smuggling marijuana and cocaine into the United States, the Public Prosecutor reported on May 13.

Colombian Drug Trafficker Arrested in Venezuela

The alleged Colombian drug trafficker Giraldo de Jesús Escalante Villegas, alias ‘Escalante’ and leader of the gang ‘Los Urabeños’, was arrested on May 10 in western Venezuela, Néstor Reverol, head of the National Anti-Drug Office (ONA), reported.

Demobilized FARC Member Reports a Factory that Produced Bombs

A factory that produced one thousand improvised explosive devices (IED) per month to be used by the narco-terrorist organization Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in terrorist attacks and mine planting, was seized in the rural municipality of Suárez in the department of Cauca, on May 10.

Archived Articles