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Launching of the regional program for strengthening capacities related to maritime interdictions and prosecution of maritime crime in all its forms in Costa Rica

San José, December 17, 2020. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime for Central America and the Caribbean (UNODC ROPAN) launched the regional program for strengthening capacities related to maritime interdictions and the prosecution of maritime crime in all its forms.

The objective of this program is to work together with the counterparts of the beneficiary country, Costa Rica, which will be the Deputy Prosecutor's Office against Drug Trafficking and Crime, the General Prosecutor's Office, the Coast Guard and the Ministry of Security.

In the virtual event held to present the program, José Vila del Castillo, Regional Representative of UNODC, offered the words of welcome: "Narcotics trafficking in the Western Hemisphere does not occur in isolation from other illegal trafficking. Maritime traffic of migrants, illegal transfer of weapons, attacks and robberies in territorial waters, money laundering and maritime traffic of precursors, see the same criminal organizations involved and are committed when transporting narcotics by sea routes from producing countries to transit and destination countries".

The Representative said that "UNODC GMPC will implement actions aimed at promoting judicial cooperation, strengthening regional capacities related to training and river operations and maintenance of the maritime fleet in the four countries covered by the program: Panama, Costa Rica, Colombia and Ecuador.

Francesca Caonero, Program Coordinator of UNODC GMC, was in charge of informing with more details about the objectives of the program and Marcela Ortiz Bonilla, Deputy Director General of the Costa Rican Institute on Drugs gave the closing remarks.