Insight Crime
As political shifts in the United States threaten to hinder anti-narcotics efforts in Latin America and the Caribbean, organized crime is well-positioned to capitalize on new markets, drug manufacturing processes, and technology, two recent reports revealed.
The reports, from the governments of the United States and the European Union, show synthetic drugs are continuing to evolve fast, and that cocaine flows to Europe have been largely unaffected by increases in seizures and the targeting of trafficking networks. Furthermore, organized crime groups are increasingly operating online, with authorities struggling to keep up.
The release of these reports comes amid political uncertainty around the future of efforts to combat organized crime around Latin America and the Caribbean. While promising a heavy-handed crackdown on fentanyl trafficking and crime groups, US President Donald Trump has pushed policies that could instead help criminal groups thrive. His administration has suspended foreign aid that funded anti-narcotics programs in countries like Colombia and Mexico, walked back anti-money laundering initiatives, and deported a key MS13 leader to El Salvador, raising questions about the government’s commitment to fighting the gang.
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https://insightcrime.org/news/synthetic-drugs-cocaine-to-europe-and-cyber-crime-booms-eu-us-reports/
