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President of Colombia visited Europol

Last week the President of the Republic of Colombia Iván Duque Márquez met with Europol’s Executive Director Catherine De Bolle during a visit to Europol’s headquarters in The Hague, the Netherlands.

Colombia and Europol have a close partnership built and developed over the last two decades. The Agreement signed between the two parties is the most comprehensive one to date that Europol has concluded with a Latin American country and is considered a model for international law enforcement cooperation.

Colombia deploys to Europol’s headquarters liaison officers from the National Police of Colombia to work side by side with counterparts from over 40 countries.

In discussions with Europol’s Executive Director, the President was briefed on how Europol’s global security architecture assists the Colombian authorities. Identifying areas for increased cooperation and additional operational support to tackle cross-border crimes, particularly drugs trafficking, was a key topic in the discussions.

Catherine De Bolle said:

“Colombia is a key regional player for Europol in Latin America and we work closely with the Colombian National Police in a number of key areas, including the fight against drug trafficking, the identification of high-value targets and cybercrime. Against the backdrop of international crime becoming more interconnected, the need to reinforce this cooperation is paramount. Europol will continue working closely with its trusted Latin American partner to address transnational crime from all corners of the world.”

On the occasion of this visit, medals were presented to Europol and its Executive Director by the Colombian President in recognition of Europol’s support to the National Police of Colombia in the fight against serious organised crime.

Recent examples of cooperation with Colombia include:

September 2021: Over 60 charged in crackdown on Balkan cartel behind cocaine pipeline to Europe
March 2021: Spanish Police seize first ever narco-submarine made in Europe
November 2019: International crackdown on RAT spyware which takes control of victims’ PCs

The President of the Republic of Colombia Iván Duque Márquez met today with Europol’s Executive Director Catherine De Bolle during a visit to Europol’s headquarters in The Hague, the Netherlands.

Colombia and Europol have a close partnership built and developed over the last two decades. The Agreement signed between the two parties is the most comprehensive one to date that Europol has concluded with a Latin American country and is considered a model for international law enforcement cooperation.

Colombia deploys to Europol’s headquarters liaison officers from the National Police of Colombia to work side by side with counterparts from over 40 countries.

In discussions with Europol’s Executive Director, the President was briefed on how Europol’s global security architecture assists the Colombian authorities. Identifying areas for increased cooperation and additional operational support to tackle cross-border crimes, particularly drugs trafficking, was a key topic in the discussions.

Catherine De Bolle said:

“Colombia is a key regional player for Europol in Latin America and we work closely with the Colombian National Police in a number of key areas, including the fight against drug trafficking, the identification of high-value targets and cybercrime. Against the backdrop of international crime becoming more interconnected, the need to reinforce this cooperation is paramount. Europol will continue working closely with its trusted Latin American partner to address transnational crime from all corners of the world.”

On the occasion of this visit, medals were presented to Europol and its Executive Director by the Colombian President in recognition of Europol’s support to the National Police of Colombia in the fight against serious organised crime.

Recent examples of cooperation with Colombia include:

September 2021: Over 60 charged in crackdown on Balkan cartel behind cocaine pipeline to Europe
March 2021: Spanish Police seize first-ever narco-submarine made in Europe
November 2019: International crackdown on RAT spyware which takes control of victims’ PCs