New York, Sept. 23 (SANA) The U.S.-led Shield of the Americas coalition has announced plans for coordinated sanctions and other measures against 24 criminal and armed groups operating across Latin America and the Caribbean.
The move followed a coalition meeting on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, where U.S. President Donald Trump urged participating countries to designate the groups as common threats to regional stability and impose sanctions on them.
In a joint statement, 15 participating governments said they intended, subject to their domestic and international legal obligations, to impose asset freezes and immigration and visa restrictions and pursue criminal liability against individuals who knowingly provide material support to the targeted groups.
The list includes MS-13 and Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua, as well as major Mexican cartels, Colombia’s ELN and FARC dissident groups, Brazil’s Primeiro Comando da Capital and Comando Vermelho, and Peru’s Shining Path.
The Shield of the Americas was launched in March as a U.S.-led regional initiative focused on combating drug trafficking and organized crime.
Tuesday’s statement was endorsed by the United States, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guyana, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Trinidad and Tobago.
FJ/ABD
