Mike Bejos

How can states get to organized crime’s money first? An investigation that stops at the border buys time for whoever is moving the money. At RANDOT-V and GELAVEX, two OAS political forums, states across the Americas found common ground on investigating as a network and tracking the finances of criminal organizations more closely. We break it down in the latest edition of our newsletter. Also inside: who human drug couriers are, how countries are progressing in implementing the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention, and a toolkit for engaging the public in security at major events. 📩 Read the full edition: linkedin.com/pulse/how-can-s…

¿Cómo llegar primero al dinero del crimen organizado? Una investigación que se detiene en una frontera le da tiempo a quien mueve el dinero. En RANDOT-V y GELAVEX, dos foros políticos de la OEA, los Estados de las Américas coincidieron en investigar en red y en seguir de cerca las finanzas de las redes criminales. Te contamos cómo en la nueva edición de nuestra newsletter. Además: quiénes son los correos humanos de drogas, cómo avanzan los países en la implementación de la Convención sobre Armas Biológicas y un kit para sumar a la ciudadanía a la seguridad de grandes eventos. 📩 Lee la edición completa: linkedin.com/pulse/c%C3%B3mo…

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐤. Launched today in Vienna, the @ICAT_News brief “Trafficking in Persons for the Purpose of Forced Criminality” examines how criminal networks compel trafficking victims to commit crimes. It includes an assessment checklist to help national authorities identify gaps in legislation, policies, and procedures. In 2026, the OAS co-chairs the Inter-Agency Coordination Group against Trafficking in Persons (ICAT) with @UNICEF , after co-chairing it with @UNODC in 2025. In that role, it co-organized today’s launch on the margins of the 13th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (Palermo Convention). 𝐀𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 - the OAS team presented the recommendations of the Eighth Meeting of National Authorities on Trafficking in Persons, chaired by Guatemala in 2026. Member states prioritized addressing the recruitment of children and adolescents by organized criminal groups, forced labor in the context of human mobility, and trafficking facilitated by digital technologies. They also prioritized ensuring comprehensive and transformative reparation for survivors. When trafficking victims are compelled to commit crimes, responses must look beyond the offense to recognize the exploitation behind it. That means applying the non-punishment principle and directing investigations at the recruiters, financial flows, and criminal networks that profit. Together with UNODC, the OAS is advancing toward an Inter-American Network of Survivors of Trafficking in Persons. 📄 Read the brief: icat.un.org/sites/g/files/tm… #HumanTrafficking #OrganizedCrime #UNTOC

Drug trafficking, illegal mining, cybercrime, arms smuggling, human trafficking. Across the Americas, these crimes now share the same corridors, digital platforms and financial systems. That is the hemispheric perspective the @oas_official brought to the 13th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime. An interconnected threat calls for an equally integrated response across countries. Hear from @ivancontente, OAS Secretary for Multidimensional Security, on how the OAS supports its Member States. → Promoting joint and parallel investigation teams. → Following the money. → Standardized, comparable data for evidence-based policy. The goal: safer communities across the Americas.