Ministers from South American countries have stressed their commitment to improving coordinated action against transnational organized crime, recognizing INTERPOL’s role in regional security.
Under an initiative endorsed at the First Ministerial Meeting against Transnational Organized Crime in South America (June 23 – 24), participating countries will work together with INTERPOL to enhance their regional security collaboration via the Brazilian International Police Cooperation Centre (IPCC) in Rio de Janeiro.
The declaration at the Brasilia summit was agreed by Ministers from Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Surinam and Uruguay. The aim is to allow for enhanced exchange of crime intelligence data, integrated actions, joint capacity building and planning of criminal investigations to help close security gaps against transnational organized crime in the region.
In this respect, participating Home Affairs, Justice, Police and Public Security ministers recognized INTERPOL as the primary inter-regional communication network for law enforcement agencies to exchange actionable intelligence and enhance frontline policing.
The effectiveness of such inter-regional law enforcement cooperation via INTERPOL was underscored this week alone with the arrest in Hungary of Sergio Roberto De Carvalho, wanted internationally by Brazil under an INTERPOL Red Notice for alleged links to transnational organized crime, including drug trafficking.