Environmental crime: EL PAcCTO is carrying on the fight in Latin America
Funded by the European Union, EL PAcCTO is an international cooperation programme which aims to strengthen the fight against organised crime in Latin America. Since 2018, it has been working alongside its Latin American partners to fight against environmental crime. This crime may take different forms: illegal mining, dumping of waste into the environment, hunting or trafficking in protected species… This latter theme is also considered as one of the most lucrative criminal activities in the world, after drug trafficking and smuggling. It is also the second cause of biodiversity loss in the world.
Jaguar network: focusing on international cooperation
To contribute to strengthening the fight against environmental crime, EL PAcCTO is involved in the development of operational mechanisms to facilitate cooperation between countries.
The programme has contributed to the creation of the Jaguar network, which allows police forces specialised in environmental crime in European and Latin American countries to strengthen their operational cooperation. In 2020, the network contributed to the coordination of investigations and operations between the two regions, including Operation Spencer against international reptile trafficking and Operation APOLO against illegal gold mining in Colombia.
The Jaguar network is part of a number of police cooperation networks supported by EL PAcCTO in various thematic areas, such as the LYNX network against human trafficking, and the ARCO network against arms trafficking.
Interinstitutional coordination at national level is another crucial issue, in order to effectively combat complex and multifaceted phenomena. It is for this reason that EL PAcCTO helps set up specialised multidisciplinary teams (EMEs), comprising representatives from various institutions (police, Public Prosecutor’s Office, specialised agencies), with complementary expertise.
In 2020, EL PAcCTO helped set up an EME specialised in environmental crime in Panama. Its objective is to increase the effectiveness of the criminal justice response to organised crime in this country, by promoting coordination between the police investigation units, the National Attorney General’s Office and the Ministry of Environment. It was officially launched on 24 May 2021, with another EME on tax crimes.
Harmonising legislation
EL PAcCTO also supports other initiatives, such as the harmonisation of legislation on environmental crime. Why is it interesting? Environmental crimes very often have a transnational dimension, so this harmonisation prevents criminal groups from taking advantage of existing shortcomings between countries and slipping through the cracks.
In 2021, EL PAcCTO and the Forum of Presidents of the Legislative Bodies of Central America and the Caribbean Basin (FOPREL) proposed a harmonised typology of certain environmental crimes and offences (forest fires, waste trafficking, illegal extraction of minerals…). The three Spanish, Portuguese and Nicaraguan experts who conducted the study highlighted Latin America’s vulnerability to environmental risks related to crime. For example, gold mining is a source of contamination for both ecosystems and people. It is therefore necessary to define a harmonised legislative framework to respond to and deter any activity that illegally degrades the natural environment.
Find EL PAcCTO at the European Development Days 2021
Find out more about EL PAcCTO and the fight against environmental crime
EL PAcCTO is a programme funded by the European Commission and implemented by Expertise France and FIIAPP, with support from IILA and the Camões Institute. It covers the entire penal chain and mainly aims to fight against transnational organised crime and strengthen the institutions responsible for ensuring the security of citizens, in 18 Latin American countries.
Find out more about EL PAcCTO: www.elpaccto.eu