Record Cocaine Hauls Confirm Guinea-Bissau's 'Narco-State' Reputation

Despite being named Africa's first "narco-state" for over a decade now, Guinea-Bissau has failed to contain its role in the international drugs trade, and shipments of cocaine from Latin America…

Drug Seizures Increase in Belize as More Cocaine Flows North

Despite limited interdiction capabilities, authorities in Belize have made a number of recent drug busts, underscoring that the Central American country is grappling with a surge in cocaine moving north…

Chemicals for Cocaine Production Hidden in Sugar and Beer in Peru

Peruvian authorities managed to identify close to 20 methods for hiding illegal chemical components being sent to criminal groups in the VRAEM, the country’s top cocaine-producing region.

Arrests Thrust Dominican Republic's Top Drug Lord Into Spotlight

Authorities in the Dominican Republic have dismantled one of the country's most sophisticated crime syndicates, but the exploits of its leader, who is still on the run, have caught the…

The US-Mexico Border’s Eastern End: A Forgotten Criminal Enclave?

While Mexico’s drug war has left much of its frontier with the United States threatened by cartel violence, a fine-tuned criminal strategy has allowed the border’s eastern extremity to remain…

Narco-Planes Leave No Respite for Guatemala

The growing number of flights carrying drugs across in Guatemala has brought renewed attention to the government’s failed strategies to tackle drug trafficking.

Peru, Ecuador Police Divers Target Drugs Hidden on Ship Hulls

Peruvian police have busted a drug ring that used divers to attach cocaine shipments to the hulls of boats, an innovative and hard to detect smuggling technique that appears to…

PCC-'Ndrangheta, the International Criminal Alliance Flooding Europe with Cocaine

The recent arrests of two members of the ‘Ndrangheta in São Paulo have further highlighted the increasingly close partnership between the Italian mafia and Brazil’s PCC -- two of the…

Venezuela Hides its Cocaine Behind Marijuana Seizures

Venezuela’s anti-narcotics agency reported that marijuana made up 80 percent of the country’s drug seizures in the first six months of 2019, contradicting reports from international organizations that point to…

Colombia's Drug Strategy Paradox - Less Coca Crops, More Cocaine

A new UN study shows that while Colombia saw a slight drop in coca crop plantations between 2017 and 2018, this has not a knock-on impact on cocaine production, which…

Europe Busts Point to Uruguay as Cocaine Transit Point

More than a half a ton of cocaine was smuggled aboard a private jet that landed in Switzerland after departing from Uruguay, revealing that traffickers could be increasingly using the…

Uncertainty Surrounds Protection Plan for Colombia's Crop Substitution Leaders

The unveiling of a plan to protect community leaders involved in Colombia’s voluntary coca crop substitution program is not likely to alleviate security concerns, given the recent killings of such…