The Latin American Report # 577

A report from the World Customs Organization cited by EFE details how the infiltration of the maritime supply chain by drug cartels has increased, with an emphasis on the Panamanian case. The Geneva-based body warns of the "high number of cocaine detections in Panamanian transshipment ports," a dynamic that "strongly suggests that a large part of the contamination carried out with the intervention of internal conspirators occurs there and, to a lesser extent, in other Latin American ports with infiltrated criminals."

In the report, which analyzed 2,600 seizures from the 2023-2024 period, with a volume of intercepted drugs amounting to nearly 1,350 tons of drugs—almost all cocaine—, it is stated that in approximately 70% of the cases, there had been some level of participation by port agents or workers. Among the main methods for inserting drugs into the supply chain are the so-called rip on - rip off in containers, concealments in different structures of them, accessories attached below the waterline of vessels, and transfers at sea.

The first referred methodology consists of "the pre-arranged placement of bags or bundles of drugs in the internal load area of legitimate maritime containers," and their subsequent (covert) extraction at different points in the supply chain. Contamination via this way occurs either at the moment of truck transport from the exporter or packaging facility, at the origin port terminal before loading, at transshipment port terminals, during transfer by road or rail between them—a problem directly associated with Panama in particular—and on board container ships that are approached by smaller vessels either while at anchor or during inter-oceanic transit, "with the participation of corrupt or coerced crew."

The "in-port switch rip" variant, according to the report, is the most egregious, because "several legitimate port workers must collaborate to coordinate the placement of two in-transit containers in a discrete part of the terminal, facilitate the opening of a 'high-risk' container and transfer the contraband to a lower-risk origin container," to reduce the risk of inspection. The method of concealment in container structures, which involves placing small loads in places like the control panel gaps of reefer containers, is also detailed extensively in the report, which can be consulted in full here.

In one of the most interesting data points, confirming a trend we have empirically noted in this report, it was determined that of all the cocaine detected, 30% was traveling in containers with a declared port of loading in Ecuador, a country that, unfortunately, therefore consolidates its position as a dominant actor in the export of the narcotic. Without specifying the source, it is claimed that many workers at maritime container terminals have been killed at the hands of organized crime there. However, this would be a dynamic consistent with the violence rates shown by coastal provinces like Guayas or Manabí.

It is not just that cartels and gangs hire or bribe, but that they directly manage to place active members in critical positions, which alarms private actors like Keith Svendsen, CEO of APM Terminals. The body points out that while the amount of seized drugs is considerable, it does not match the volume of cocaine that is worldwide produced. This demands greater investment in ensuring the integrity of the supply chain, for example, through the introduction of "non-conventional targeting systems at borders, beyond the import declaration level."

Regional news briefs

• A total of 25 immigrants of Latin American origin, working in construction, were detained by U.S. agents on a state highway in Pennsylvania while heading to their job, reports EFE. Three of whom were working in the Mount Nittany Hospital, maybe specifically in its new Patient Tower. Those detained are specifically from Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Honduras.
  

• After visiting Argentina, the head of the U.S. Southern Command will arrive in Paraguay tomorrow, where he will discuss with authorities a cooperation plan in the fight against transnational organized crime, which includes efforts to train the Paraguayan Armed Forces. I find this tutelage problematic because it highlights the eternal immaturity of our countries in confronting their problems.
  

• "I have just received the release form. At 5 pm on the streets of Sabaneta. Afterwards, mass at María Auxiliadora. Every minute of my freedom I will dedicate to fighting for the freedom of Colombia," stated former Colombian president Álvaro Uribe Vélez after receiving his release form, which allows him to regain his civil life while the sentence for the alleged commission of the crimes of procedural fraud and bribery in criminal proceedings is resolved in a second-level court.
  

Posted Using INLEO