DEA opens global summit in Argentina with calls for greater cooperation against drug trafficking
Trump and Milei governments reaffirm their strategic security alliance at the international drug control conference
No country is immune to drug trafficking nor can it fight that battle alone. The Donald Trump administration put that warning on the table and called for greater international cooperation against organized crime as it opened the 40th International Drug Enforcement Conference (IDEC) in Buenos Aires on Tuesday. It is the world’s largest event against drug trafficking, held behind closed doors over three days under the leadership of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Argentina was chosen to host this edition in recognition of the strategic security alliance woven between Trump and his Argentine counterpart, Javier Milei.
The U.S. ambassador in Buenos Aires, Peter Lamelas, said Washington “works hand in hand with Argentina and democratic countries against cartels, criminal networks and terrorists.” He nevertheless acknowledged the problems that remain in defeating drug trafficking: “Cartels and criminals move fast. That is why we must move even faster.”
The head of the DEA, Terry Cole, praised the cooperation provided by Argentina and called for it to be expanded “on a larger scale to defeat the transnational criminal organizations responsible for drug trafficking, money laundering, corruption and violence around the world.”
The ban on press access keeps any friction among representatives from the 110 participating countries out of the spotlight. It is known, however, that Cole sought to smooth tensions with the Mexican government by describing Mexico’s Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection, Omar García Harfuch, as a “trusted partner.”
During a break in the international meeting, Cole met with Argentine Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno, who called the event a further demonstration of Milei’s commitment to the fight against transnational crime and drug trafficking. The far-right Argentine leader considers the Trump administration his main ally on foreign policy. After signing a bilateral five-year military cooperation pact and agreeing to joint patrols of the South Atlantic, Milei has been one of the main proponents of the so-called Shield of the Americas. That initiative, launched last March by the U.S. president together with a dozen ideologically aligned Latin American governments, aims to combat drug trafficking and immigration, as well as reducing China’s influence in the region.
Both the Casa Rosada and the Argentine Security Ministry distanced themselves from previous governments, which they accused of denying “the problem of drug trafficking.” According to the latest report from the Financial Intelligence Research Fund (Finint), from January 2024 through mid-year, Argentine federal forces seized nearly 15,000 kilograms of cocaine hydrochloride in large-scale operations, a figure that represents a 508% increase in the average volume seized between 2020 and 2023. Finint’s data show that Argentina is increasingly a transit and distribution corridor for cocaine, with consolidated routes that have a dominant point of origin: Bolivia. Around 80% of seized shipments came from the Andean country.
Argentina’s Security Minister Alejandra Monteoliva described organized crime as one of the great evils of the 21st century. “It is impossible to think of growth and development outside of security,” Monteoliva said during her opening remarks at a conference that will run through Thursday, with senior officials from the security forces of participating countries.
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