Shield of the Americas: 16 countries coordinate sanctions against 24 criminal gangs
Peru, the US and 13 other countries signed the "Shield of the Americas" alliance to combat transnational crime. The targets include Tren de Aragua, the Sinaloa cartel and Shining Path.
Hemispheric alliance aims to block assets and sanction 24 criminal organisations
According to apnoticias.pe, Peru, the United States and 13 other countries from the American continent agreed to coordinate sanctions, intelligence and security operations against 24 transnational criminal organisations. The commitment was disclosed through a statement from the US State Department.
The initiative, named Shield of the Americas, establishes three lines of action: promoting economic growth, protecting democratic institutions against armed groups linked to drug trafficking, and defending the sovereignty of each participating State.
On the operational level, the countries will coordinate financial and economic sanctions targeting criminal structures, exchange intelligence information and strengthen their law enforcement forces through training and technological tools.
Among the first concrete measures are the freezing of assets, migration restrictions and visa limitations. The agreement also contemplates criminal sanctions for those who provide economic, logistical or material support to the groups included on the list.
Each action shall be carried out in accordance with the internal regulations and international treaties in force in each country, without distinction and respecting the sovereign decisions of each State.
In the first phase of the initiative are 24 criminal organisations. Among them are Tren de Aragua, the Sinaloa cartels, the Peruvian terrorist group Shining Path — currently considered almost extinct — the National Liberation Army (ELN), dissident factions of the FARC, Los Lobos and Los Choneros. From Brazil were incorporated the Primeiro Comando da Capital and the Comando Vermelho.
The alliance also provides for the activation of a Consulting Body under the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance, known as the Rio Treaty. Countries that are not party to that agreement expressed their willingness to cooperate in accordance with their respective national legislation.
The overall strategy aims to dismantle the financial structures that sustain transnational crime in the region.
Source: Google News PE — Crime