As the world marked the International Day against Transnational Organized Crime on 15 November, the European Union reaffirms its commitment to tackling criminal networks that operate across borders.
Protecting people and the planet: ECO-SOLVE
Environmental crime has become one of the world’s fastest-growing illegal activities, with far-reaching consequences for ecosystems and local livelihoods. The ECO-SOLVE programme monitors illicit online environmental trade across the Amazon Basin, focusing on Brazil and Colombia, which are two key countries identified in the Global Organized Crime Index 2023.
By combining online trade monitoring with community engagement, ECO-SOLVE generates actionable data for law enforcement and private sector partners while supporting local efforts to protect the environment. In April 2024, the project hosted regional dialogues in Caquetá and Meta, bringing together 21 grassroots organisations to co-develop strategies against illegal logging and deforestation. The meetings concluded with the launch of a community grant scheme to finance locally led environmental protection initiatives.
Securing the skies: COLIBRI
The flexibility of private aviation offers opportunities for legitimate business, but also for criminal groups to move drugs, weapons and cash across continents. The COLIBRI project, implemented by the EU and the World Customs Organization (WCO), strengthens the capacity of 19 partner countries in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Africa to monitor General Aviation movements.
Using its dedicated Geoportal and mobile app, authorities can track flights, share data and coordinate inspections in real time. In March 2025, Operation COLIBRI PARAMUNO brought together more than 80 agencies from 19 countries to conduct nearly 2,000 aircraft controls. The operation uncovered clandestine runways, dismantled a major drug laboratory and seized drugs, weapons and aircraft, showing how coordinated international action can disrupt criminal logistics networks.
Stronger airports, safer borders: AIRCOP
Airports are vital gateways for trade and travel, but they are also targets for traffickers. The AIRCOP programme, funded by the EU and implemented by UNODC in partnership with INTERPOL and the WCO, helps airport authorities detect illicit goods and high-risk passengers while facilitating real-time information exchange between origin, transit and destination countries.
Joint trainings held with Spain’s National Police and Guardia Civil in 2024 improved the capacity of law enforcement officers from Latin America and the Caribbean to identify suspicious cargo and passengers. The cooperation led directly to several interceptions in Madrid, including the seizure of 30 kilograms of cocaine and the arrest of couriers travelling from the Caribbean and South America.
These results show how trust-based collaboration between regions enhances border security and keeps criminal networks off balance.
Dismantling criminal networks: CRIMJUST
While many programmes focus on seizures and arrests, CRIMJUST goes further, helping countries move from disruption to dismantlement. Active since 2016, this EU-UNODC initiative connects investigators and prosecutors across Latin America, the Caribbean, West Africa and Europe to work jointly on transnational cases.
CRIMJUST facilitates Joint Investigation Teams (JITs), which allow prosecutors and investigators from different jurisdictions to share evidence directly and coordinate strategies in real time. One recent example is the JIT established between Peru and Bolivia to address human trafficking, money laundering and environmental crimes linked to organised crime.
The team used new cooperation guidelines endorsed by the Association of Ibero-American Prosecutors in 2025, setting common regional standards for criminal justice collaboration. By promoting trust and information exchange, CRIMJUST helps ensure that criminals face justice, wherever they operate.
Fighting crime at sea: SEACOP
With over 90 percent of global trade moving by sea, maritime routes are a primary channel for smuggling. The EU-funded Seaport Cooperation Project (SEACOP) helps partner countries improve their capacity to detect, investigate and intercept illicit maritime trafficking.
During Operation Caribe 2023, SEACOP coordinated 13 Joint Maritime Control Units and 18 Maritime Intelligence Units from countries across the Caribbean, including Jamaica, Grenada, the Dominican Republic and Colombia. The operation led to the seizure of over 1.5 tonnes of cocaine and 70 kilograms of cannabis, along with the arrest of key traffickers.
By enhancing information sharing and joint action at sea, SEACOP helps make global maritime routes safer and strengthens regional cooperation against organised crime.
Cutting financial lifelines: the EU Global Facility on Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing
Organised crime depends on money, often hidden behind complex international transactions.
The EU Global Facility on Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing (AML/CFT) works with governments, regulators and financial institutions worldwide to make these systems more transparent and secure.
The Facility helps countries align their policies with global standards and improve investigative capacity to trace illicit funds. Its efforts have already helped several partner countries strengthen compliance and exit international monitoring lists.
A recent regional conference in Mexico brought together 18 Latin American countries to tackle the trafficking of cultural artefacts. The event promoted information sharing between public authorities, financial institutions and the art sector, demonstrating how anti-money-laundering tools can be used to protect cultural heritage and disrupt the criminal economies that exploit it.
A shared commitment to global security
From protecting forests and cyberspace to strengthening borders, justice systems and financial oversight, the EU’s projects show that transnational threats require transnational solutions. By working hand in hand with partner countries, the EU supports efforts to uphold the rule of law, protect citizens and promote sustainable security worldwide.
As these initiatives demonstrate, when cooperation crosses borders, so does safety.
