RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – At the end of a meeting with president Mario Abdo Benítez, Minister Pérez spoke to the press about her recent trip to the European country, where she met with Italian officials.
The Minister announced Paraguay’s decision to join the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) Initiative on Cooperation against the ‘Ndrangheta (“I-Can”), implemented for the 2020 to 2023 period.
I-Can comprises several nations seeking increased multilateral police cooperation in the fight against the ‘Ndrangheta and “focuses on the creation of a global early warning system in the face of an invisible enemy,” said Interpol Secretary General Jürgen Stock.
The ‘Ndrangheta originates from Italy’s Calabria region and is considered one of the world’s most widespread and powerful criminal organizations, alongside the Sicilian Mafia and the Neapolitan Camorra, according to Interpol.
Pérez mentioned suspicions of the organization’s involvement in illegal activities in Paraguay and the region, in association with South American criminal groups.
She said that support will be provided by the National Anti-Mafia Prosecutor’s Office and the European Anti-Corruption Authority to monitor drug trafficking and the prevention of money laundering from the Italian criminal organization.
The Italian authorities recognize the work of the Paraguayan government in the fight against organized crime, given that it is a drug transit center, the Minister said. Pérez considers the prevention efforts to be of utmost importance, given to the large quantities of drugs shipped from Paraguay to Europe.