International
ELN says that resuming kidnappings for economic purposes is not an ultimatum to the Government
The guerrilla of the National Liberation Army (ELN) does not believe that resuming kidnappings for economic purposes, as announced on May 6 after agreeing to its suspension in February, is an “ultimatum” to the Government but a “record” of its “will to continue looking at a search for a way out of this matter.”
This was stated in an interview with EFE by the chief guerrilla negotiator, Israel Ramírez Pineda, known as ‘Pablo Beltrán’, who assured that the announcement to end the suspension of that crime was nothing more than expected, since his commitment was to suspend it for three months until they found another solution.
This is because in Havana, when the extension of the ceasefire was negotiated, which was where this commitment of the ELN to suspend “withholdings for economic purposes” was incorporated, this was done as a sign of the goodwill of the guerrillas, he explains.
“The ELN can increasingly commit to incorporating more prohibited actions on cessation, but the ELN also needs support to sustain the cessation,” he says. That is, they expected a guerrilla financing solution to be negotiated, which has a source of income in kidnappings.
“That is the political will, but in the discussion we did not manage to reach an agreement on that, that is, when we renewed this cessation there was no agreement to include in the extension the cessation of withholdings,” said Beltrán, although even so, he adds, the ELN included its commitment “on a voluntary basis to make a unilateral cessation of three months, while we find solutions.”
However, those three months have passed since the meeting in Havana and “the Bureau (of dialogues) entered a very difficult crisis and those solutions that we left to make were not worked on. Then the three months passed, but we were not able to advance the solutions. There was a gap.”
“Then we were forced to say until May 3 was the unilateral cessation (of withholdings for economic purposes) and we hope that we will resume the discussions again, to see if we reach an agreement in that sense. So, it is not an ultimatum but a record that we have the will to continue looking at a search for a way out of this issue that is expected to be included in the prohibited actions,” Beltrán emphasizes.
The two parties have signed the first point of the six on the negotiating agenda in Caracas, but the crises and open disputes have meant that a new cycle of dialogues has not been made since the end of January.
Now they will have to be found again to, among other matters, see if the ceasefire is extended once again, which began on August 3 and will fulfill, for the first time in the history of the guerrillas, a year without breaches.
It is in that new negotiation where the ELN hopes that, if there is compliance by the Government, more prohibited actions, such as kidnappings, will be added.
Despite the fact that International Humanitarian Law (IHL) considers the taking of hostages (the capture of a civilian outside the conflict) as a war crime, for the ELN the “retention” of civilians for economic purposes is not because it is a “temporary detention.”
“That type of withholding, above all, we focus on characters who have been enriched with the corruption of the treasury. That is a policy, that is, to expropriate corrupt (…) So it is not only to expropriate for expropriate, no, it is to the corrupt,” explains Beltrán.
Thus, the guerrillas point out that “they charge tributes” and that when they do not comply, it is when “a temporary arrest is made.”
“I don’t want to compare, but there are many countries in the world that if you don’t pay taxes, they stop you. Well, that’s it, it’s a temporary detention and for us it’s not hostage-taking,” says the head of the ELN delegation at the dialogue table.
International
Mexico and U.S. Launch New Bilateral Security Group to Combat Fentanyl and Organized Crime
The governments of Mexico and the United States officially launched the Bilateral Implementation Group (BIG) on Friday, a new initiative aimed at strengthening cooperation on security issues and enhancing joint efforts against transnational crime.
In a statement, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson announced that he and Deputy Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco addressed officials from both countries who will lead what he described as a “new phase of bilateral cooperation.” The initiative seeks to curb the flow of fentanyl and other illicit drugs, illegal firearms, and human trafficking across the shared border.
Earlier this week, Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs had confirmed that senior security officials from both nations would meet in Mexico City on June 12 to review and advance existing cooperation agreements.
Through social media, Ambassador Johnson explained that the new bilateral group is designed to improve coordination between the two governments by placing greater emphasis on implementation, accountability, and measurable results. The effort will also focus on combating transnational criminal organizations operating across North America.
“The participation of 15 U.S. government agencies, working alongside their Mexican counterparts, reflects the seriousness of this effort and our shared commitment to delivering measurable results,” Johnson said.
The ambassador also highlighted several achievements that he attributed to ongoing bilateral cooperation. According to Johnson, maritime drug trafficking into the United States has declined by more than 95 percent, while overdose deaths have fallen by 35 percent.
He further noted that Mexican authorities have seized more than 400 metric tons of illegal drugs and dismantled over 2,300 clandestine laboratories as part of their efforts to combat organized crime and narcotics production.
The launch of the Bilateral Implementation Group marks the latest step in the security partnership between Mexico and the United States, as both countries seek to address shared challenges related to drug trafficking, arms smuggling, human trafficking, and the activities of criminal networks operating across the region.
International
‘El Chapo’ Guzmán again asks Mexican president to seek his return from U.S. prison
Convicted drug trafficker Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán has once again appealed to Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to intervene on his behalf and seek his transfer from the United States to Mexico, where he hopes to serve the remainder of his prison sentence.
Guzmán, the former leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, is currently serving a sentence of more than 50 years in the United States after being convicted in 2019 on multiple charges, including drug trafficking and money laundering.
According to reports, the latest request was made in a letter dated June 2, one of several messages that Guzmán has reportedly sent to Sheinbaum in recent months in an effort to secure his repatriation. In the letter, he expresses hope that the Mexican government can support the efforts of his legal team.
Written in English and by hand, the letter asks that he be allowed to complete his sentence in Mexico, arguing that such a transfer would enable him to receive visits from family members more easily.
Guzmán is currently being held at the United States Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility in Florence, Colorado, commonly known as the “Alcatraz of the Rockies,” one of the most secure prisons in the United States.
As in previous communications, the former cartel leader complained about his prison conditions, stating that he remains in near-total isolation and has little to no contact with other inmates.
He also reiterated his long-standing claim that he did not receive a fair trial in the United States and argued that the Mexican government bears responsibility for much of the violence associated with organized crime in the country.
In the letter, Guzmán maintains that his actions were motivated by a desire to protect himself and his family amid the violence linked to criminal organizations in Mexico.
Mexican authorities have not publicly indicated whether they plan to respond to the request. Guzmán remains one of the most notorious figures in the history of international drug trafficking and is serving his sentence under some of the strictest security measures in the U.S. prison system.
Central America
U.S. Authorities Accuse Guatemalan Nationals of Using False Information to Sponsor Migrant Minors
Senior officials from the U.S. Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security announced Thursday criminal charges against three Guatemalan citizens accused of using false information to sponsor migrant children who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border without a parent or guardian.
According to an indictment filed in Ohio, Maritza Cahuec Coc allegedly submitted at least 12 sponsorship applications, several of which were filed under aliases or contained materially false statements intended to secure custody of the minors.
Under U.S. procedures, unaccompanied migrant children apprehended at the southern border are placed in the custody of the Department of Health and Human Services, which is responsible for their care until they can be released to a qualified sponsor, such as a parent or relative living in the United States.
Prosecutors allege that Cahuec Coc, who reportedly entered the United States illegally in 2018, received payments between late 2020 and 2023 for helping bring 12 migrant minors into the country. Authorities claim she submitted fraudulent documents and misleading information to obtain approval for the sponsorship requests.
The case was announced during a joint press conference led by Acting Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. However, officials provided limited details about the investigation and instead focused much of their remarks on criticizing immigration policies implemented under the previous administration.
Republican lawmakers and Trump administration officials have frequently pointed to the increase in unaccompanied migrant children arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border during President Joe Biden’s term, arguing that the government failed to adequately oversee their care and placement.
During Thursday’s briefing, A. Tysen Duva, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, alleged that Cahuec Coc used the identities of other individuals and falsely claimed family relationships in order to obtain custody of the children.
“Maritza submitted sponsorship applications using other people’s identities and falsely represented that the minors were the children of close relatives in order to secure their release,” Duva said.
The case remains under investigation, and federal authorities have not yet disclosed additional information regarding the other two Guatemalan nationals charged in connection with the alleged scheme.
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