24/05/2024
The European Union and the United States exchange ideas and identify strategies to prevent and combat the phenomenon of maritime drug trafficking and its impact
Peru hosted an event organised by the European project on the fight against drugs and organised crime in Peru, bringing together European and US countries to address the challenge of combating maritime drug trafficking.
Drug trafficking, organised crime and related crimes in Peru (illegal mining and logging, money laundering, human trafficking and corruption, among others) have become one of the main challenges for the governability of the Peruvian state. This situation makes it absolutely necessary to strengthen the capacities of the institutions dedicated to the fight against drug trafficking, thus improving criminal justice rates and involving all the bodies involved.
Drug trafficking by sea containers represents a serious threat to the security, economic stability and well-being of our societies. It can contribute to the escalation of violence and instability in affected regions.
Approximately 90% of world trade is carried by sea containers, of which more than 500 million are delivered annually in the trade supply chain and of this amount less than 3% will be inspected. Shipping vessels are getting bigger and bigger, their capacities have doubled in the last ten years. Criminal organisations are very opportunistic and know how to take advantage of this global situation, using all open sea routes, using complex and ingenious concealment methods, which makes the task of interception very difficult.
For this reason, the exchange of ideas and the identification of strategies between different actors, in order to effectively prevent and combat this phenomenon and its impact, is fundamental, and this meeting has allowed for this work between specialists from the security and justice forces. This meeting has allowed for the sharing of experiences and good practices. They have had the opportunity to analyse current trends and threats, they have dealt with intelligence issues. In addition, they had the opportunity to learn about and explore advanced technologies, tools and detection methods, all of which promoted international cooperation, and to close the meeting, they presented a series of recommendations and strategies for the future.
