Counternarcotics
Wednesday, August 10, 2016 - 06:55
An American drug lord who operated in Mexico reportedly made a deal with US authorities to secure a shorter sentence, an anticipated outcome that is sure to add to the mounting evidence that extradited capos are providing on Mexico's underworld. Edgar Valdez Villareal, a former leader of Mexico's Beltrán Leyva Organization (BLO), and four of his accomplices agreed to supply US authorities with information on his and rival drug cartels in exchange for a reduced prison sentence, reported El Universal.
Thursday, August 4, 2016 - 06:52
Colombia has destroyed over 100 cocaine laboratories and stripped a FARC faction of $10 million in potential earnings, exposing the huge criminal finances that promise to keep many guerrilla fighters in the field even if a peace deal is reached in the near future.
Monday, August 1, 2016 - 15:06
Overnight, the municipality of Briceño went from being a forgotten town nestled in the mountains of northern Antioquia to one of the main reference points for Colombia's post-conflict future. Its inhabitants now live between skepticism and optimism.
Monday, August 1, 2016 - 15:06
In 2006, after taking assuming Mexico’s presidency, Felipe Calderón took the bold initiative to declare war on the cartels controlling drug trafficking. The security forces were no longer able to fight the cartels which were disputing control of an illegal market that is still moves billions of dollars annually.
Monday, August 1, 2016 - 15:06
Apparently Mexico’s tolerance for violence has its limits. And one of those limits is violence against women. There is nothing new in hearing bands boasting about sexism but in a country where seven women are killed every day, burning a woman alive – even in a work of fiction – is no longer funny. The glorification of violence in narcoculture has finally hit a nerve.
Friday, July 8, 2016 - 06:53
Costa Rica located dozens of illegal airstrips used by drug traffickers in the last year along its Pacific coast, highlighting the country's growing importance as a drug transit nation. Between November 2015 and March 2016, Costa Rican authorities discovered 35 illegal landing strips, all of them along the Pacific coast, used by traffickers to move drugs and money, reported Costa Rica Hoy.
Wednesday, July 6, 2016 - 06:40
The U.S. has spent more than $8 billion with little effect over 15 years to counter the flourishing poppy trade that has made Afghanistan the No. 1 supplier of heroin to the world. The Defense Department no longer includes a section on counter-narcotics in its semi-annual report to Congress on Afghanistan. It was absent from the report on “Enhancing Security and Stability in Afghanistan” submitted last month and also omitted in the previous submission.
Friday, June 24, 2016 - 06:48
The U.S. government will donate two Island-class cutter patrol boats with a total value of $18.9 million to the Costa Rican Coast Guard. U.S. Assistant Secretary William Brownfield of the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs announced the donation following a meeting with President Luis Guillermo Solís at Casa Presidencial Wednesday.
Wednesday, June 22, 2016 - 07:02
Strategic cooperation between the United States and the Caribbean on issues such as energy security and counternarcotics is taking shape thanks to the efforts of members of Congress.