21 - 24 November 2022 – The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, under the framework of CRIMJUST – “Criminal Network Disruption Global Programme” held, between 21 and 24 November, a broad and in-depth training on the investigation and prosecution of transnational drug trafficking. On this occasion, it was delivered in collaboration with experts from the Iberoamerican Network of Anti-Drug Prosecutors (RFAI) from the Iberoamerican Association of Public Prosecutors (AIAMP) to 18 investigators and prosecutors from Central America and the Caribbean, counting on participants from Panama, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and Costa Rica.
Transnational drug trafficking has seen a major uptick in the past few years, as per UNODC’s World Drug Report 2022, not only seeing the rise in supply and demand for illicit flows, the greater sophistication of organised crime group networks that articulate the production and deliveries but also, importantly, the deepening of traditional routes and the adoption of new ones. Routes from South America northwards through Central America as well towards the European markets through the Caribbean constitute such routes, seeing related challenges arise. Not only that, as per the European Union’s opening remarks, 65% of active organised crime groups are composed of members from different nationalities, with 7 in 10 being active in more than three countries. The trend is thus clear, drug trafficking globally has never been more transnational.
To that end, the main objective of this course was to strengthen the capacities of prosecutors and law enforcement from Central America and Caribbean region, to detect, investigate and prosecute transnational drug trafficking.
Opening remarks were initiated by Antonio Valverde, the representative of UNODC’s CRIMJUST Programme, following by Alfredo Gadea, Cooperation Attaché of the Delegation of the European Union in Honduras, who highlighted the European Union support for CRIMJUST, emphasized the importance of courses on transnational drug trafficking investigation and prosecution in dismantling criminal organizations. After that, Pablo Cedeño, Representative of the Iberoamerican Network of Anti-Drug Prosecutors (RFAI) presented the network and their role in promoting and strengthening cooperation in matters of criminal prosecution.
Finally, Cindy Rodriguez, the Secretariat for Foreign Relations and International Cooperation of Honduras’s representative, and Semma Julissa Villanueva Barahona, Viceminister of Security of Honduras, articulated the importance of international support for the country in the fight against organized crime and transnational drug trafficking, thanking CRIMJUST for this activity and how it will strengthen participant’s capacities to disrupt criminal networks, moreover expressing the support that is urgently needed to combat the enormous impunity, corruption and other transnational crimes, strengthening the scientific evidence involved in the rapid installation of the UNODC in Honduras.
On the first day, a diagnosis of drug trafficking and new scenarios of criminal prosecution were presented, such as more powerful and functional criminal organizations, virtualization of the illicit drug market and the use of encrypted messaging, and growth of the drug market in terms of both quantity and power. Following that, the Iberoamerican Anti-Drug Prosecutors Network's methods for dealing with these new realities were outlined.
The sessions that followed focused on criminal investigation techniques, such as: direct exchange of information, inter-institutional cooperation, spontaneous referral of information, Joint Investigation Teams, International Controlled Deliveries, interception of communications and other monitoring techniques, such as, effective cooperation or imputed collaborator, undercover agents and money laundering from drug trafficking. Criminal prosecution strategies were also covered, among them, the international approach to criminal prosecution, promotion in the chain of responsibility, prosecution of illicit trafficking in chemical precursors and new psychoactive substances, asset investigation, protection of witnesses, collaborators and prosecutors. Finally, on the final day, a discussion on gender perspectives was conducted. In addition, each day concluded with a hands-on practical case study discussion related to the topics covered.
This training provided a valuable capacity-building benefit to authorities from a region that needs it more than most, given the recent trends in illicit flows through the national territories of the participants. It also contributed to the overall institutional resilience and human rights standing of said participating countries, as the training also importantly included important questions such as gender considerations into the end trainings themselves.
CRIMJUST is funded by the European Union and by the US Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL). It seeks to enhance law enforcement and judicial counter-narcotic strategies beyond interdiction activities and to foster transnational responses targeting each stage of the drug supply chain.
For more information:
- United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
- Global Illicit Flows Programme
- Red de Fiscales Antidroga Iberoamericanos
- Asociación Iberoamericana de Ministerios Públicos