On October 31, the United States and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) co-hosted a high-level interagency coordination meeting to strengthen U.S.-Caribbean cooperation to counter firearms trafficking through the CARICOM Crime Gun Intelligence Unit (CGIU).
Convened under the auspices of the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI) in Washington DC, the U.S. delegation included representatives from the National Security Council, Office of the Vice President, Department of State, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice, and Department of Commerce. Caribbean participants included the leadership of the Caribbean Community Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (CARICOM IMPACS) and the CARICOM Crime Gun Intelligence Unit (CGIU).
Launched in 2022 to improve information sharing among Caribbean and U.S. law enforcement agencies, the CGIU now includes a manager, an investigator, and six intelligence analysts funded by CARICOM. Law enforcement agencies from Barbados, The Bahamas, Guyana, Jamaica, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines have seconded personnel to the CGIU. Over the last two years, the Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) has provided $2.2 million to support this important initiative, co-funded by CARICOM.
For further information, please contact whapress@state.gov.
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