Trinidad, Guyana join Americas Counter Cartel Coalition

CMC

Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana have joined a newly formed military alliance known as the Americas Counter-Cartel Coalition.

The agreement was formalised after United States (US) President Donald Trump signed the Doral Charter during the Shield of the Americas summit in the city of Doral in Florida.

Addressing invited leaders at the summit, Trump said the agreement centres on a commitment by participating nations to intensify efforts against drug cartels and criminal networks operating across the region.

“The heart of our agreement is a commitment to using lethal military force to destroy the sinister cartels and terrorist networks once and for all,” the president said.

He added that the US was prepared to assist countries in locating and targeting cartel operations.

“You have to just tell us where they are. We have amazing weaponry, as you probably noticed over the last short period of time,” Trump said.

During the signing ceremony, Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar was presented with the pen used to sign the agreement.

The gesture drew a positive response from the Trinidad and Tobago leader, who has expressed support for expanding US security cooperation in the Caribbean as part of a broader campaign against drug trafficking and organised crime.

Trump told leaders attending the summit that the initiative was aimed at addressing rising criminal activity in the region.

“I saw it so badly, how you’re suffering with what’s happening with the crime in the region,” he said, adding that the United States was willing to work with partner nations to eradicate cartel activity.

Other countries represented at the meeting included Guyana, Paraguay, Dominican Republic, Panama, Honduras, El Salvador, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Chile, Bolivia and Argentina.

Trump said the countries participating in the coalition have significant potential but must first confront organised crime networks that have taken root across parts of the region.

“The nations gathered here today are filled with unlimited potential,” he said. “But to fulfil that potential, we must smash the grip of the cartels and criminal gangs and truly liberate our people.”