In the Dominican Republic, 19 countries prepared a plan to counter cartels — The Rio Times

In Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, a conference involving officials from the defense and security agencies of 19 countries in the Western Hemisphere was held on October 26–27. The delegations worked on a joint strategy to counter drug cartels and organized crime, The Rio Times reports.

The coalition’s plan and rules

The meeting was organized by the Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Defense and U.S. Southern Command. It was held as part of the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition, or A3C, a U.S.-led coalition.

Ministers and senior officials worked on two documents: a strategic operational plan and the coalition’s charter. According to the Dominican Republic’s presidential administration, the documents are intended to define priorities, coordination rules and the organizational structure of the alliance.

The coalition also plans to focus not only on drug interdiction, but also on the financing, logistics and corruption that support criminal networks.

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Meeting participants

The conference was opened by Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader. He stated that states’ response to transnational crime cannot remain fragmented within individual countries. The president emphasized the need for mutual trust, respect for the sovereignty and legislation of each state, as well as clear responsibilities and measurable results.

The event was also attended by U.S. Southern Command Commander General Francis Donovan, U.S. Ambassador Leah Francis Campos, Dominican Republic Defense Minister Carlos Fernández Onofre and Interior Minister Faride Raful.

Previous coalition meetings were held in Miami in March and in Panama City in August. Dominican authorities described A3C as an initiative separate from, but complementary to, the political alliance Shield of the Americas.