Triangles Strategy: Public-Private Cooperation to Address Illicit Trade

A Cooperation Agenda Addressing a Cross-Border Phenomenon

From August 10 to 12, 2026, Bogotá hosted the International Cooperation and Public-Private Collaboration Roundtable of the Triangles Strategy, an initiative aimed at strengthening cooperation among government authorities, international organizations, the private sector, and academia to prevent and investigate illicit trade in goods and its connection to transnational organized crime.

The meeting, held at the Universidad Militar Nueva Granada (UMNG), brought together representatives from Colombian institutions, foreign agencies, cooperation organizations, businesses, and academia. Participants included the Fiscal and Customs Police (POLFA), the National Tax and Customs Authority (DIAN), the Attorney General’s Office, the Colombian Navy, the U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the National Customs Authority of Panama, AMERIPOL, the Embassy and Police of the Netherlands, as well as representatives from the private sector and academia.

More than a space for discussion, the roundtable sought to generate lessons learned and concrete actions to ensure continuity in cooperation efforts to address illicit trade.

Three Days to Connect Experiences, Capabilities, and Proposals

The agenda was structured around three complementary sessions: first, understanding the challenges and perspectives of the different stakeholders; second, exploring national and international experiences in greater depth and moving toward a roadmap; and third, taking the discussion into the field through a field visit.

This methodology made it possible to progressively move from diagnosis to the exchange of experiences and, subsequently, to the development of action proposals.

Day 1: Understanding the Problem from Different Perspectives

The first day began with participation in the Annual Strategic Foresight Forum, where the challenges of governance in the era of hybrid threats were discussed. The panel brought together representatives from the private sector, HSI, academia, and Strategos BIP, providing an opportunity to introduce the discussion on emerging challenges associated with illicit trade.

Subsequently, the working group was formally established, and its objectives were presented and contextualized. In the afternoon, the series of institutional presentations began, featuring perspectives from POLFA, HSI, the National Customs Authority of Panama, the private sector, the Colombian Navy, and Strategos BIP.

One of the central elements of the day was the exchange of experiences. HSI’s participation brought the Trade Transparency Units (TTU) model into the discussion, while contributions from government authorities and the private sector helped identify different challenges and opportunities from their respective areas of expertise.

Day 2: From Experience Sharing to Building a Collaborative Roadmap

The second day broadened the discussion with the participation of DIAN, AMERIPOL, BAT, the Embassy of the Netherlands, academia, and the Attorney General’s Office.

The diversity of stakeholders made it possible to address illicit trade from multiple perspectives, including customs, law enforcement, fiscal, international, business, and academic viewpoints.

In this context, Strategos BIP presented CIMA, its platform for researching, monitoring, and analyzing illicit trade. The platform aims to support the generation of evidence and the analysis of information related to illicit trade dynamics, providing insights to help identify patterns and support decision-making processes.

The day concluded with one of the roundtable’s main objectives: the joint development of a collaborative roadmap.

This step was particularly relevant because it provided an opportunity to translate the discussions held during the previous sessions into potential lines of action and cooperation mechanisms.

Day 3: Taking the Conversation to the Field

The third day was dedicated to a field visit to the Bogotá Free Trade Zone, where participants were welcomed by its management and operations teams. The activity complemented the discussions held during the first two days by providing a direct perspective on an environment connected to international trade dynamics and customs management.

This visit was particularly valuable within the roundtable’s methodology: after examining illicit trade from institutional, international, business, and academic perspectives, participants were able to gain closer insight into operational realities and continue identifying challenges and opportunities for cooperation.

In this way, the meeting brought a cycle to a close—one that began with the exchange of perspectives, progressed toward the identification of proposals, and concluded with a practical approach to the environment in which these dynamics take place.

Cooperation as a Response to a Transnational Phenomenon

Illicit trade in goods does not follow a single pattern, nor can it be addressed by any one institution alone. The sessions highlighted the importance of connecting public-sector capabilities, international cooperation, business expertise, and analytical tools.

For precisely this reason, the Triangles Strategy places public-private collaboration and international cooperation at the center of efforts to strengthen prevention and investigative capabilities.

The participation of Colombian authorities, international organizations, businesses, and academia brought different experiences and perspectives to the table. The exchange also highlighted the need to strengthen the mechanisms through which information can be transformed into actionable knowledge for decision-making.

In this context, analytical tools such as CIMA can help connect data, trends, and patterns with the needs of those responsible for preventing, investigating, and responding to illicit trade.

From Information to Action

One of the main outcomes of the meeting was the decision to move forward with the joint development of a collaborative roadmap.

This presents a fundamental challenge: ensuring that cooperation does not end when the roundtable concludes.

The true value of these spaces lies in their ability to establish sustainable mechanisms for collaboration, facilitate information sharing, strengthen institutional capacities, and translate lessons learned into concrete actions.

Addressing illicit trade requires precisely this transition: from sharing information to generating intelligence; from identifying problems to developing responses; and from isolated initiatives to building stronger cooperation capabilities.

An Ongoing Effort

The International Cooperation and Public-Private Collaboration Roundtable of the Triangles Strategy served as a meeting point for stakeholders who, from different positions, face a common challenge.

Strategos BIP would like to thank the institutions, international organizations, businesses, and academic representatives who participated in this initiative, as well as UMNG for hosting the agenda and the Bogotá Free Trade Zone for opening its doors for the field visit.

The three days of work leave one central conclusion: addressing illicit trade requires sustained cooperation, quality information, and the capacity to turn knowledge into decisions and action.

The roundtable may be over, but the work continues.