The United States government announced this Tuesday a reward package that totals up to $8 million for information that leads to the capture of members of the Gulf Clan involved in human trafficking using the dangerous Darien route.
“Today’s three reward offers support law enforcement efforts in Colombia, Panama and the United States to disrupt the exploitative treatment of migrants from around the world seeking passage through the Darien region,” a statement said. of the State Department.
The Darién is a forested strip that covers areas of Colombia and Panama in about 17,014 km2; while the Darién Gap is a “160 km long stretch within the Chocó Department of Colombia in South America and the Darién Province of Panama in Central America,” according to data from the specialized site Wildlife Conservation Society.
“We are employing every tool at our disposal to disrupt and dismantle the human trafficking networks that spread misery across the Western Hemisphere,” Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco was quoted as saying in a statement. “To those who traffic human beings through the Darien, I say: the full weight of the US government will fall on you.”
There are three rewards, namely: one of up to $2 million “for information that leads to the arrest and/or conviction of any key leader of the Gulf Cartel (CDG) involved in human trafficking in the Darien.”
Additionally, the Department of Justice, through the Anti-Smuggling Rewards (ASR) Initiative, is offering $1 million for information leading to the disruption of CDG’s financial mechanisms.
The reward of the highest monetary value, in this case 5 million dollars, is intended to attract information for the capture of leaders of the same cartel, but this time in relation to their trafficking activities encouraging foreign emigrants to enter the United States illegally and that this implies their death.
According to report of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) between January and May 2024 alone, some 139,000 foreigners crossed the difficult Darien route, many of them hoping to reach the United States.
Tips, the note states, can be sent to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) by telephone at (866) 347-2423 (toll-free) or online at the site. www.ice.gov/tips.
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