CBP Warns of Increased Drug Trafficking Through Non-Drug-Producing Countries
Drug trafficking activity through countries that do not produce the drugs has increased in recent years, said CBP in a Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism alert. Pointing to the Port of Guayaquil, Ecuador, CBP has "noted an alarming uptick in the…
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number and size of drug trafficking operations targeting legitimate cargo" at the port involving corrupt officials, it said. "The increase in drug trafficking activity at the Port of Guayaquil is part of a larger shift that has seen traffickers bypass the traditional drug-producing countries of Colombia, Bolivia, and Peru in favor of Chile, Ecuador, and Panama." The "non-drug-producing countries accounted for nearly 66 percent of seizures compared to 34 percent from the traditional cocaine producers," the agency said. "Smugglers may have started to favor these countries because they are less focused on fighting drug trafficking compared to countries such as Colombia, where trafficking is a primary focal point of government policy and enforcement efforts. "