On the radar: is repression working?
This week on On the Radar, a CJNG co-founder pleads guilty, Ecuador turns to Europe for help fighting crime, and U.S. strikes hit trafficking routes – but the cocaine trade continues to grow.
Transcription
Welcome back to On the Radar. Here are the three key questions this week:
Does the fall of former criminal leaders actually weaken criminal groups – or make them more adaptable?
Can international partnerships like the agreement between Ecuador and Europol keep pace with transnational crime?
And if military force doesn't disrupt cocaine flows, what will?
CJNG co-founder pleads guilty
Erick Valencia Salazar, co-founder of the Jalisco Cartel New Generation, has pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges in the United States.
Before helping to build the CJNG alongside the recently deceased Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, better known as “El Mencho,” Valencia was a key figure in the Milenio cartel that preceded him.
His guilty plea closes a chapter, but raises the larger and more eternal question of the extent to which the removal of founding figures actually weakens groups like the CJNG.
Ecuador works with Europe to fight crime
Ecuador is outward-looking in its fight against organized crime and signed a cooperation agreement earlier this month with the European Union and Europol. According to the Ecuadorian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this is the first agreement of this type between the EU and a Latin American country.
But will increased intelligence sharing and increased coordination with Europe translate into real gains on the ground?
Read our report on this subject new phase in Ecuador's drug war on the web page.
Cocaine flows continue despite American strikes
And finally, a new InSight Crime investigation targets US missile strikes targeting drug trafficking routes in the Caribbean and Pacific seas. The conclusion is clear: if certain routes were disrupted, the overall flow of cocaine was barely affected.
The traffickers have adapted. The routes have been modified. Business continued.
Would the United States be better off focusing more on regional collaboration and less on militarized attacks on organized crime?
Probably.
You can read this investigation on our homepage this week, along with profiles of all the major trafficking groups and key leaders in the region. That's all for now! We'll be back next week with more.
The position On the radar: is repression working? appeared first on Crime in sight.
