COEPA: Third COEPA-GIR High-Level Meeting to prevent and combat illicit trade

StrategosBIP

Nov 15, 2023

4 min read

Updated: 2 days ago

The high-level meeting of the COEPA Regional Public-Private Alliance – Colombia, Ecuador and Panama – took place in Guayaquil, Ecuador, on November 14.

Official COEPA-GIR photograph, Guayaquil 2023

Regional leadership

Thanks to the leadership of Strategos BIP, the United Nations University for Peace (UPAZ), Universidad Hemisferios and the Foundation for the Study of Money Laundering and Crime (FELADE), the Third High-Level Meeting of the COEPA Alliance took place on Tuesday, November 14, in Guayaquil, Ecuador, with 32 government institutions, international organizations, universities and companies participating.

The event opened with retired Brigadier General Juan Carlos Buitrago Arias, CEO of Strategos BIP and spokesperson for the COEPA Alliance, who presented its current position and expectations for fulfilling its objective: reducing the incidence and harmful effects of illicit trade in the region.

Address by retired Brigadier General Juan Carlos Buitrago Arias, CEO of Strategos BIP and spokesperson for the COEPA Alliance.

The meeting began with greetings from General Freddy Sarzosa, Director General of Investigations of Ecuador’s National Police; Dr. Tayra Barsallo, Director General of Panama’s National Customs Authority; Dr. Claudia Marín, Customs Director at Colombia’s National Tax and Customs Directorate; Dr. María José Castelblanco, delegate of Ecuador’s National Customs Service; and the representative of United States Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

These authorities presented progress in preventing and combating illicit trade, together with results and challenges within COEPA and in Colombia, Ecuador and Panama. They emphasized the importance of international cooperation in responding to the increasingly complex dynamics of the criminal structures that enable illicit trade.

Private sector and academia

Representatives of the private sector and academia emphasized the importance of a multidimensional view of illicit trade in the region: understanding its dynamics in depth, discouraging it, raising public and consumer awareness, and dismantling criminal structures.

Participants in this discussion included Dr. Maurício Vieira, coordinator of UPAZ’s Chair on Combating Illicit Trade and Preventing Transnational Organized Crime; Dr. Juan Carlos Galarza, Executive Manager for Illicit Trade Prevention in Ecuador at Philip Morris International; Dr. María Fernanda Román, Dean of the Faculty of Social and Human Sciences and the School of Government at Universidad Hemisferios; and Dr. José Manuel Quesada, Executive Director of FELADE.

CIMA

Through the Centre for Research, Monitoring and Analysis of Illicit Trade (CIMA), Strategos BIP presented a series of relevant cases illustrating the criminal dynamics of illicit cigarette trade in the region and highlighting the global nature of the phenomenon.

Working session

The working session discussed a proposal for participating public institutions to sign a declaration of principles to formally consolidate the COEPA Alliance in the near future. It also considered implementing an operational agenda through a Regional Intervention Group (GIR) against the smuggling and counterfeiting of cigarettes, alcoholic beverages, textiles and other products, supported by a strong private-sector contribution in reporting, information and analysis.

Field visit to the Guayaquil Port Terminal

Finally, participants made a field visit to the Guayaquil Port Terminal, where INARPI shared its efforts, good practices and results in combating illicit trade at the port.

COEPA–Guayaquil conclusions

The Declaration of Principles was adopted as COEPA’s framework for action.
Authorities reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening operations and investigations against illegal cigarette trafficking in the region, based on six specific cases examined by the Regional Intervention Group (GIR) working groups.
CIMA will be strengthened as a tool for information exchange, investigation, analysis and support for authorities’ judicial proceedings.
Training and capacity-building programmes should continue.
COEPA’s scope of action should expand to include the counterfeit and illegally sourced products that most affect the region.
Other industry sectors should be invited to join COEPA.
The OAS Department against Transnational Organized Crime should be approved to take a greater leadership role in the COEPA Alliance.
Work should continue on the proposal to establish an International Training Centre against Illicit Trade in Cartagena, Colombia, within COEPA, led by the Colombian Navy and supported by private companies.
Financial Intelligence Units should participate more actively in COEPA, strengthening CIMA’s contribution to investigations into money laundering and illicit trade.
The Third COEPA-GIR High-Level Meeting in Guayaquil witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Director of Panama’s National Customs Authority and the Director of Ecuador’s National Customs Service to strengthen information exchange.
Special recognition was given to Dr. María Fernanda Román, Director of the School of Government at Universidad Hemisferios in Ecuador, for more than two decades of dedication to preventing and combating illicit trade. General Fausto Salinas, former Commander of Ecuador’s National Police, was also recognized for his support and achievements against organized crime and illicit trade in Ecuador.
During the visit to the Guayaquil Maritime Terminal, regional authorities learned about foreign trade operations and the problems associated with illicit trade and organized crime.
The Fourth High-Level Meeting was scheduled for April 2024 in Panama City.
The Third COEPA High-Level Meeting in Guayaquil brought together 32 representatives from customs, police, prosecution and financial intelligence authorities, as well as the OAS, UPEACE, FELADE and Universidad Hemisferios in Ecuador.

Participating institutions

Government of Colombia: Colombian Navy, National Tax and Customs Directorate (DIAN), and Fiscal and Customs Police (POLFA).
Government of Ecuador: National Police, National Customs Service, and Financial and Economic Analysis Unit.
Government of Panama: National Customs Authority, Ministry of Public Security, National Police, Office of the Attorney General, and National Border Service.
Government of the United States: HSI, part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
International organizations: Organization of American States.
Private sector and academia: FELADE, Philip Morris International, Strategos BIP, Universidad Hemisferios, and UPAZ.