1 of 1 Lobby of Interpol headquarters in Lyon, central France, October 2007 — Photo: AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani Lobby of Interpol headquarters in Lyon, central France, October 2007 — Photo: AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani
The largest Interpolcoordinated antifirearms operation in Latin America seized drugs worth more than $5.7 billion and arrested 14,260 suspects in 15 countries in the region, including Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Panama and Mexico, the said Police Department with Tuesday (18.04.)
Dubbed Operation Trigger IX, conducted between March 12 and April 2, the operation also seized 8,263 illegal weapons and more than 300,000 rounds of ammunition, as well as 203 tons of drugs and 372 tons of drug precursors. In Paraguay, too, the police rescued eleven victims of human trafficking.
“The fact that an operation against illegal firearms led to a large drug explosion is further evidence that these crimes are linked,” said Interpol Secretary General Juergen Stock.
The operation was launched by local authorities in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay. And according to Interpol, other crimes such as corruption, fraud, human trafficking, environmental crimes and terrorist activities have been uncovered.
“Illegal firearms used by criminals to commit armed robberies and murders are also closely linked to the proliferation of a variety of crimes using the same smuggling routes,” said Interpol, which is headquartered in the French city of Lyon statements.
Details of the operation based in Brazil
Interpol brought together a weapons expert from Foz do Iguaçu from the countries involved, from where the operation was coordinated. According to the police, the operations center in the city at the border triangle between Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil supported the front and ensured the rapid exchange and comparison of intelligence information.
In the operation, investigators relied on the Illicit Arms Tracking and Record Management System (iARMS) — the only global database containing records of stolen, lost and contraband firearms — and had access to Interpol’s digital ballistics records program.
According to Interpol, tracing the history of recovered weapons can provide important investigative leads. Each firearm is unique and can be identified by its serial number, ballistic imprint, make, model and caliber.
The European Unionfunded operation managed to dismantle 20 criminal organizations involved in arms trafficking and arrested members of the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC), the Salvadoran gang Mara Salvatrucha and the Cartel dos Balkans, also active in South America.
The largest ammunition seizure was in Uruguay, 100,000. On this occasion, two Europeans were arrested. Several firearms dealers have been closed in Brazil and Paraguay after irregular transfers and unlicensed sales were discovered.
Next Steps
According to Interpol, around 30 investigations were opened after the operation and authorities identified 15 new ways of making, trafficking and concealing illegal firearms.
“The organized criminal networks behind all this illegal activity have only one priority: profit. We, as law enforcement officials, must be equally determined to crush them in all regions and globally,” Stock said.
The operation came at a time when Mexico, backed by 16 US states and Caribbean countries, has filed a civil lawsuit against US arms manufacturers to hold the companies accountable for facilitating crossborder arms trade.
According to the US control agency ATF, more than half of the “murder weapons” seized in Central America came from the USA. It is almost 70% in Mexico and around 80% throughout the Caribbean.