CASTRIES, St. Lucia – Judicial and law enforcement authorities from across the Eastern Caribbean have ended a meeting here aimed at significantly enhancing regional cooperation and strategies to dismantle organised gangs and their involvement in international drug trafficking.
Delegates attending the high-level seminar, titled Gangs of the Eastern Caribbean and Their Involvement in International Drug Trafficking in St. Lucia (OECS Photo)The high-level seminar, titled ”Gangs of the Eastern Caribbean and Their Involvement in International Drug Trafficking,” was hosted by the French Embassy to Barbados and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).
The French Minister for Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, in a pre-recorded message, underscored the importance of the event, reaffirming France’s steadfast commitment to combating organised crime and drug trafficking.
The seminar forms a core part of the French plan, “Drug Trafficking: Eradicating the Problem at its Roots” and Barrot said that “this partnership embodies the shared determination and mutual trust that unite us in this fight”, signalling a strong commitment to sustained collaboration.
The two-day event brought together more than 120 participants, including attorneys general, judges, magistrates, senior police and gendarmerie officers, senior intelligence officials and representatives from correctional institutions.
They represented 11 Caribbean countries and territories , including Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Dominica, St. Lucia, Barbados, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, St Marteen and Jamaica – as well as mainland France and even Croatia.
A statement issued after the meeting said that the delegates “engaged in in-depth discussions on their respective legal frameworks and practices, working toward a shared, coordinated regional approach essential for effectively addressing increasingly organised transnational criminal groups”.
The French Embassy said the seminar marked a significant step forward in fostering regional security cooperation and reaffirmed its strong commitment to strengthening partnerships with the Eastern Caribbean States.
