Latin America Daily Security Brief

Peruvians voted today for their ninth president in a decade, with 35 names on the ballot. Keiko Fujimori of Fuerza Popular led pre-election polling and told AFP on the eve of the vote that she would 'restore order' in her first 100 days, including deploying the armed forces to prisons and borders. Three presidents have come and gone since 2021 alone.

Organized crime and extortion dominate voter anxiety — gangs have targeted schools, public transport, and businesses, sparking repeated street protests. The New York Times and The Guardian both note that few expect today's vote to break the cycle of institutional instability.

Illegal mining is the policy vacuum that analysts find most troubling. No leading candidate has put forward a serious plan. The Environmental Investigation Agency's Julia Urrunaga told ABC News that miner protests demanding looser regulation 'appear highly organized, suggesting the involvement of more powerful actors behind the scenes.' The political pressure is real: candidates have actually loosened enforcement commitments rather than tightened them.

Fujimori signaled she intends to build a conservative regional bloc with leaders in Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, and Bolivia if elected. That framing positions her as part of the right-wing wave reshaping the hemisphere, which could affect how Lima handles cross-border crime cooperation — particularly with Colombia.

Brazil and the United States formally announced the DESARMA initiative on April 11, a joint program to intercept weapons and drug trafficking. Brazilian Justice Minister Dario Durigan said the effort grew from direct talks between Presidents Lula and Trump. The government disclosed it had seized 1,168 illegally imported weapons in the last 12 months, the majority shipped from Florida, according to Reuters and Al Jazeera.

Brazil is feeding weapons data into a shared U.S. system as part of the agreement. Notably, Brasília is pursuing a financial-strangulation strategy against criminal organizations rather than accepting the U.S. push to designate groups like PCC and CV as terrorist organizations — a distinction that has real legal and operational implications for how joint operations can be conducted.

Canada has issued an updated travel advisory for Brazil, flagging that security forces hold authority under the state of exception to conduct searches, seize property, and detain individuals — including foreign nationals — without due process. This is a relevant watch item for companies with Brazilian operations and expatriate staff.

A serious military corruption case moved forward this week. Colombian prosecutors are investigating whether General Mejía ordered the release of a suspected drug trafficker during a 2024 operation in El Plateado, Cauca. According to Semana and Infobae, the suspect was returned — along with seized drugs — to the original detention site via two military helicopters, one of them an armed Black Hawk escort. Videos and witness testimony are now part of the formal record.

In Caquetá, security forces seized 120 kilos of coca base tied to Segunda Marquetalia, a FARC dissident faction. Police said the operation targeted a strategic corridor used by organized crime to move product.

A roadside bomb detonated as a police patrol passed in Cúcuta, wounding at least one officer. The military commander for the sector attributed the device to armed groups targeting both security forces and civilian vehicles in the area.

April 9 is Colombia's national day for victims of the armed conflict. Official figures put the total at over 10 million victims and 36,775 newly registered disappearances, per El Colombiano. The anniversary produced renewed calls for accountability, including on the 25th anniversary of the El Naya paramilitary massacre in Cauca.

A California man identified as 'El 85,' a CJNG co-founder who recruited hundreds of members for the cartel alongside El Mencho, pleaded guilty to a drug conspiracy charge in U.S. federal court. The plea adds to a string of CJNG leadership actions following El Mencho's death in February — context that matters for succession dynamics inside the organization.

A separate story is developing in the mining sector. Workers at an unnamed mine in Zacatecas reportedly warned authorities about cartel threats and asked for military protection — but the state prosecutor told media his office had received no formal complaints. The case was discussed at a security mesa chaired by Governor David Monreal Ávila. This connects to earlier reporting (InSight Crime) that CJNG controls mercury trafficking through Querétaro mines to South America.

U.S. trade officials are now using the USMCA labor mechanism to flag concerns about cartel infiltration of Mexican unions. A new ruling opens the door to presenting criminal violence as a labor rights violation — a significant legal expansion of the tool that could affect multiple sectors operating under union agreements in Mexico.

Ecuador is set to add a major naval vessel to its fleet as part of the Southern Seas 2026 multilateral exercise. The government framed the acquisition explicitly as a response to expanding organized crime and narco-trafficking pressure, according to Infobae.

Trade tensions with Colombia are creating economic pain at the border. Ecuador raised tariffs on Colombian goods to 100%, and President Noboa defended the move by arguing Bogotá lacks the same commitment to fighting organized crime. Businesses and residents along the 586-kilometer shared border are reporting 'gigantic losses,' per Infobae.

The InSight Crime 'On the Radar' edition this week noted that Ecuador is now seeking European partners to help fight crime, even as U.S. strikes have disrupted some trafficking routes. The cocaine trade, however, has rerouted rather than contracted.

Panama and Costa Rica formalized a bilateral border security alliance at Paso Canoas on April 11. Senior security commanders from both countries attended. The agreement covers joint operations against drug trafficking, human trafficking, and contraband, with an intelligence-sharing component, according to La Prensa Panamá and Centroamérica360.

The two countries also signed a separate MOU on a cross-border rail link — the Panama City-David-Paso Canoas corridor — which will eventually improve legitimate commerce but also creates new vectors for smuggling that security planners will need to account for.

Costa Rica recorded 202 homicides between January 1 and April 10, an average of two per day, according to the Organismo de Investigación Judicial. That pace tracks above last year's already-elevated rate. Organized crime linked to drug trafficking is driving the increase.

Paraguay's Chamber of Deputies approved a U.S. military cooperation agreement that now awaits executive promulgation. The deal operates under Trump's 'Shield of the Americas' framework. SurySur and Infobae report that the agreement allows U.S. troop presence and is framed around counternarcotics, border control, and countering Chinese commercial and political influence in the region.

Paraguay's Interior Ministry vice-minister confirmed the National Police received an extraordinary $100 million injection, funded through Itaipú Binacional, to expand operational capacity. He acknowledged the money helps but falls short of matching criminal organizations' financial resources.

A DEA regional summit held in Montevideo this week brought together security authorities from across Latin America. Attendees were briefed on new trafficking routes, greater sophistication in cartel operations, and the geographic expansion of organized crime networks, according to Pravda ES.

The backdrop to Cuba's current crisis remains the January 2026 U.S. military intervention in Venezuela, which resulted in the capture of Nicolás Maduro and a blockade of Venezuelan oil exports. Maduro and Cilia Flores are currently awaiting trial in New York on drug and weapons charges, per Al Jazeera.

Cuba, which depended heavily on Venezuelan oil, is now in acute energy crisis. Residents are cooking with charcoal and running vehicles on improvised fuels, per El País. A Trump executive order in January blocked additional fuel deliveries to the island, compounding the supply collapse.

Cuban doctors are being expelled from host nations across the Caribbean and Latin America as governments respond to U.S. pressure. The Guardian reports that contracts are being terminated and health programs dismantled, with the poorest populations absorbing the health system fallout.

Uruguay is positioning itself as a regional defense technology hub. The Defense Ministry announced that Uruguay was selected to host a key military technology installation — the minister described it as a recognition of the country's 'technical trust and stability.' The system is reported to involve advanced missile-defense or air-defense architecture, though details remain limited.

The Economist Intelligence Unit's latest democracy index, referenced in regional media, rated Uruguay among Latin America's strongest democracies. Argentina and Paraguay both improved their scores — Paraguay moving from 'hybrid regime' to 'flawed democracy.'

A major copper and gold deposit straddling the Argentina-Chile border is drawing significant investor attention. Estimates put the resource at 84 billion pounds of copper plus tens of millions of ounces of gold and silver. Argentina alone could receive roughly $69 billion in taxes and royalties over the mine's life, with 5,500 direct construction jobs and 19,000 indirect positions projected.

In Chile, José Antonio Kast — the leading right-wing presidential candidate — ran on a platform of border ditches, mass deportations, and maximum-security prison construction. His candidacy reflects the broader hardline shift in regional politics, similar to what Fujimori is running on in Peru and what Milei has implemented in Argentina.

Honduras announced new fuel price increases this week, drawing pushback from business groups and consumers already under economic pressure.

Guatemala's Attorney General's Office formally closed the Lev Tahor case following the protection of minors from the ultra-Orthodox Jewish sect. The operation targeted the group's compound in Oratorio, eastern Guatemala.

A Nicaraguan migrant woman murdered in Costa Rica became a regional flashpoint after health authorities blocked repatriation of her remains due to the body's condition. The case generated diplomatic friction and drew attention to the violence affecting Nicaraguan migrants in Costa Rica.