Andean Region, Coca/Cocaine, Crime, Law & Justice

Garcia calls for greater intelligence sharing during inauguration of drug czar meeting

President Alan Garcia called for greater intelligence sharing between regional anti-drug agencies during the inauguration on Monday of the 20th Meeting of the Heads of National Drug Law Enforcement Agencies (Honlea) being held in Lima, state news agency Andina reported.

“We need a solid effort to coordinate intelligence because at times, police in one country do not know what [police] in another know,” Peru’s president said. “We have to be strongly connected in order to act against drug trafficking.”

Garcia said the only way to combat the drug trade is for national agencies to share information and ensure there are no secrets between sovereign neighbors.

In addition, Garcia called for continued efforts to tackle money laundering in order to combat the drug trade.

“You have to hit the drug trade where it hurts the most, which is the money,” he said, adding that many governments still lack proper training to effectively address money laundering.

The head of Peru’s anti-drugs agency Devida, Romulo Pizarro, said he will also meet with Peru’s regional presidents and mayors who were recently elected to discuss their role in combating the drug trade, including addiction.

“We want to have meetings with the new authorities because the topic of drug addiction has a lot to do with citizen security. We can’t forget that a person under the effects of cocaine, which is each time more inexpensive in the streets, will be much more violent,” news site Info Region reported Pizarro as saying.

“It is important that we can see the strengthening of regional work in events like this. We have talked with the drug czars in Bolivia, Ecuador and Colombia and we will analyze the drug routes because the drug traffickers won’t wait with their arms crossed.”

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*