Peru and US reinforce anti-drugs cooperation and fight against transnational organised crime
Lima and Washington agreed to deepen joint mechanisms against drug trafficking, arms trafficking and transnational criminal organisations.
Bilateral meeting in Lima: Peru and US agree on greater coordination against drug trafficking
Peru and the United States agreed to strengthen their cooperation mechanisms to combat drug trafficking and transnational criminal organisations, according to gestion.pe. The commitment emerged from a bilateral meeting in Lima between the vice-minister of Internal Order, Juan Carlos Sotil, the US Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, Thomas DiNanno, and the country's ambassador, Bernie Navarro.
The agenda included the exchange of information and intelligence, the strengthening of anti-drugs operations, the training of police personnel and the nationalisation of the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters of Peru's National Police (PNP).
Sotil, who represented Interior Minister César Astudillo, underscored the importance of deepening the bilateral relationship to confront common threats, including the advance of transnational organised crime and foreign terrorist organisations. He also highlighted Washington's support through technical assistance and information exchange, and particularly valued cooperation with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
DiNanno specified that the US delegation included representatives from different government areas linked to international cooperation against narcotics, the fight against terrorism and the acquisition of military equipment. According to the official, the coordination channels agreed upon would allow for the development of anti-drugs control programmes and the promotion of technological initiatives to improve the response capacity of Peruvian institutions.
Ambassador Navarro ratified Washington's willingness to maintain joint work against criminal networks operating in the region. "You are not alone, we are together in the fight," affirmed the diplomat, who noted that both countries share the objective of combating cartels and protecting the security of their citizens.
Another point on the agenda was the Shield of the Americas, a regional initiative aimed at streamlining intelligence exchange and facilitating joint operations against criminal organisations active in several countries. Cooperation also aims to combat arms trafficking, extortion and contract killing.
In that framework, the parties underscored the need to coordinate the work of security and justice institutions to identify those responsible for these networks, dismantle their structures and affect their sources of financing.
Source: Google News PE — Crime