JIATF-South, multinational efforts target transnational organized crime

Joint Interagency Task Force South (JIATF-South) recently participated in a U.S., European, and western hemisphere partner nation effort targeting illicit trafficking routes in coastal waters along the Central American isthmus.

The multinational detection, monitoring, and interdiction operation, called Operation Martillo, included U.S. Navy and Coast Guard vessels, aircraft from U.S. federal law enforcement agencies, and military and law enforcement units from various nations. JIATF-South and its partners worked together to deny transnational criminal organizations the ability to transport illicit narcotics, precursor chemicals, bulk cash, and weapons through these water routes.

Operation Martillo is a component of the U.S. government’s coordinated interagency regional security strategy in support of the White House Strategy to Combat Transnational Organized Crime and the U.S. Central America Regional Security Initiative.

International and cooperative interagency efforts coordinated through JIATF-South in 2011 resulted in the disruption of 119 metric tons of cocaine, with a wholesale value of $2.35 billion, before it could reach destinations in the United States. JIATF-South’s efforts also enabled the interdiction of $21 million in bulk cash destined for traffickers in Central and South America.

For more information about JIATF-South’s role in Operation Martillo, please follow the link below.
Multinational Operation Targets Transnational Organized Crime, DVIDS