The Bilateral Counter-Narcotics Working Group of the delegations of Colombia and the United States agreed the framework of a new bilateral strategy against drug trafficking, which should initially be implemented in three prioritized municipalities, Tumaco, Cáceres and Sardinata.
The new strategy will take a holistic approach to strengthening our counter-narcotics strategy based on three pillars: comprehensive source reduction; security and comprehensive rural development; and environmental protection, as reported by the representatives of the Working Group of both countries, and also that more details are expected to be revealed in the coming months.
Discussions at this second Meeting of the Counter-Narcotics Working Group focused on the need to increase citizen security, disrupt drug trafficking supply chains, sustainably eradicate coca, and increase the finding of chemical precursors and cocaine.
“Drug trafficking has transformed considerably in recent years, specializing its forms of production, trafficking routes, actors and roles involved, becoming a problem that goes beyond national borders,” said the Deputy Minister of Defense for Policies and International Affairs, Sandra Alzate.
In that regard, the strengthening of efforts to protect the environment from exploitation by criminal gangs, improve technical resources to detect coca cultivation and evaluate cocaine production; the plans to establish additional tools to measure the success of related counter-narcotics and security efforts were discussed.
Both sides reaffirmed their solid commitment to reducing drug trafficking, highlighted the progress made during the administration of President Iván Duque, and recognized that complex problems, such as drug trafficking, are a shared responsibility that requires long-term solutions and a comprehensive and sustained political response.
