Kingpins and Corruption: Targeting Transnational Organized Crime in the Americas

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Event Summary

On Monday, AEI released a new report, “Kingpins and Corruption: Targeting Transnational Organized Crime in the Americas.” At the report’s release, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) delivered opening remarks and discussed with AEI’s Roger F. Noriega how Congress and the executive branch can proactively address the threats.

Sen. Rubio highlighted some of the many manifestations of transnational organized crime in the Western Hemisphere and the unique challenges they pose for US policymakers. He emphasized the importance of cooperation with regional partners to build capacity and pressure on criminal groups and to continue development aid to effectively address the drivers of transnational organized crime.

Next, a panel of experts discussed some of the case studies featured in the report. Amb. Noriega focused on the Venezuelan regime’s widespread involvement in criminal activity and called for targeted sanctions against key officials. The Center for a Secure Free Society’s Joseph Humire and IBI Consultants’ Douglas Farah spotlighted transnational criminal threats that do not receive widespread media attention — Hezbollah’s growing involvement in illicit networks regionally and the role of FARC dissidents in continued criminal activity in Colombia. Celina Realuyo of the National Defense University discussed the US government’s efforts to combat the transnational criminal threat and how policymakers can better direct and expand these efforts.

-Kevin Reagan

Event Description

Transnational organized crime in the Western Hemisphere fuels instability, hinders prosperity, and threatens the security of the United States and its neighbors. Criminal groups actively collaborate with corrupt officials to facilitate criminal enterprises such as human and drug trafficking, generating billions of dollars in illicit revenue and making the US dollar and US banks tools of this deadly trade. Fortunately, Washington has many policy instruments it can use with regional partners to proactively counter this threat.

Join AEI for an informative discussion on how the Trump administration can confront transnational organized crime in the Americas to mark the release of AEI’s new report, “Kingpins and corruption: Targeting transnational organized crime in the Americas.” Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) will deliver opening remarks, followed by a panel discussion with some of the report’s contributors.

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