Manaus, 1 December 2022 - From 30 November to 1 December, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Brazil promoted an exchange visit and a seminar on police cooperation to combat drug trafficking on the triple border Brazil, Colombia and Peru. The initiative occurred under the PRIS-COOP project, implemented by UNODC, and with the institutional support of the Regional Superintendence of the Federal Police in Amazonas.
The aim of the meeting was to improve inter-institutional cooperation and coordination among Brazilian, Colombian and Peruvian police forces to strengthen the fight against drug trafficking in the northern triple border area.
The activity promoted technical dialogues on cross-border challenges in investigations and operations against drug trafficking, involving the divisions responsible for the issue in Brazil, Peru and Colombia, in order to share best practices and identify ways to expand regional cooperation.
Representatives from Interpol, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) from the United States, and the French National Police also participated in the activity, sharing their expertise in specialised investigation techniques and police operations.
According to the superintendent of the Federal Police in Amazonas, Eduardo Fontes, the meeting was of great importance to improve the repression of drug trafficking in the triple border through police cooperation, considering the particularities of the Amazon region and the dynamics and roles of the three countries in the illicit drug market.
The representative of the Anti-Narcotics Directorate of the Colombian National Police, Hernando Vega, highlighted the meeting's contribution to strengthening the channels of communication and information exchange between the three countries. According to the lieutenant colonel, "[the meeting] can guarantee better effectiveness in the control and immediate and effective monitoring of the information held individually by each of the authorities involved.
During the two-day activity, participants also shared successful experiences between the Brazilian Federal Police and the National Police of Colombia and Peru regarding operations and cooperation for joint police investigation of drug trafficking. As an example, the attaché of the Brazilian Federal Police in Peru, Jorge Chastalo Filho, highlighted the exchange between Peruvian and Brazilian police officers in the Northern Region to improve communication and the production of intelligence, through an agreement signed between the two institutions.
For the representative of Peru's Anti-Drugs Office, commander Miguel Palma, "the meeting is an unprecedented initiative and will serve, in the future, to plan and execute police operations at the tactical level, and also guide decisions at the strategic level, with the aim of achieving greater effectiveness and efficiency in the fight against organised crime in the Amazon.
Regional Perspective
The exchange visit was held as part of the PRIS-COOP project, which aims to promote the dissemination and adoption of innovative and inter-institutional practices to strengthen prison management and the fight against organised crime and drug trafficking, in line with international minimum standard
