Our Wednesday Sociedad Media Now daily newsletter on the latest Security issues facing Latin America.
Dominican Forces, With DEA Aid, Intercept 595 Packages of Cocaine Off Punta Salinas
CARIBBEAN — Dominican authorities, aided by the DEA, intercepted a speedboat carrying 595 packages of suspected cocaine off Punta Salinas after an hours-long pursuit, arresting two Colombians and one Venezuelan.
Inside the vessel, agents found 24 bales of cocaine along with a GPS device, five cell phones, and a Colombian passport.
The seizure adds to a 2026 total exceeding 29 metric tons of illicit substances confiscated across the Dominican Republic’s ports, airports, and coastlines.
U.S. Pulls $52 Million In Military Aid From Europe & Middle East to Fund Four LATAM Allies
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The State Department is redirecting $52 million in military aid originally destined for Slovakia, North Macedonia, Tunisia, and Iraq to Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Panama, days after Rubio’s three-country regional tour.
All four recipients have joined Washington’s “Shield of the Americas” coalition, making the reallocation the most recent financial marker of the administration’s broader pivot toward the Western Hemisphere.
The move follows Colombia’s earlier $1 billion security package, reinforcing a pattern where the fastest-aligning governments receive the most direct American resources.
“El Encuentro Te Espera”: Los Tiguerones’ Alleged Leader Deported To Face Justice In Ecuador
QUITO — “Comandante 7,” alleged top leader of Ecuadorian gang Los Tiguerones, was expelled from Colombia and transferred to a maximum-security Ecuadorian prison, five days after his capture near Bogotá.
Interior Minister John Reimberg confirmed the transfer with a pointed message on social media:
“El Encuentro te espera.”
(“The Encounter awaits you” — Ecuador’s high-profile max-security prison.)
The case underscores deepening Colombia-Ecuador security cooperation against a group the U.S. recently designated a terrorist organization during Rubio’s visit to Quito.
