Crime analysts from across the Caribbean map regional threats, commit to stronger joint action

SANTO DOMINGO--More than forty crime analysts and specialists from around twenty Caribbean jurisdictions gathered in Santo Domingo for the third Regional Network Meeting for Crime Analysts (RNA), held under the theme “Strategic Insights: Criminal Networks, Financial Crime, Drug Flows and the Role of AI (Artificial Intelligence).” The event was organized by the Board of Chiefs of Police of the Dutch Caribbean, which reiterated that no island can effectively counter cross-border crime in isolation and that strong regional cooperation is essential.

The meeting was opened by Leonne van Vlimmeren, Deputy Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the Dominican Republic, Vice Admiral José Manuel Cabrera Ulloa, head of the Dominican Republic’s Dirección Nacional de Control de Drogas (DNCD), and Raymond Ellis, Chief of Police of Curaçao and representative of the Board of Chiefs of Police of the Dutch Caribbean. Van Vlimmeren described the RNA as “a unique forum where analysts build trust, recognize shared patterns and support each other across borders.” Cabrera Ulloa emphasized that organized crime moves swiftly between jurisdictions and that “our response must be coordinated, informed and rooted in shared intelligence.” Ellis added: “Analysts turn fragments into clarity. When they connect across islands, criminal networks lose one of their biggest advantages.”

Over three days, analysts from Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Aruba, Bonaire, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Curaçao, the Dominican Republic, France, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Martin, St. Maarten, Saint Lucia, Surinam, the Netherlands, Trinidad & Tobago and the United States Virgin Islands shared their latest analyses. Their combined presentations formed a regional overview of crime trends, including firearms incidents, homicide patterns, drug flows, youth-involved violence, coastal vulnerabilities, inter-island group dynamics, cyber-enabled crime and the growing influence of digital platforms on criminal behaviour.

The programme also featured expert contributions that placed these developments in a strategic context. Dr. Evan Ellis outlined how geopolitical shifts are reshaping the Caribbean, noting that the region is no longer only a transit zone but increasingly part of the logistical chain for cocaine and other illicit goods. Experts from the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) explained how the Caribbean has evolved into a logistics platform for cocaine storage, repackaging and redistribution, and highlighted the close link between drug flows and firearms. Technology and intelligence development were addressed by John Bloebaum and Thom Snaphaan, who demonstrated how clear operational questions and financial crime scripting can expose laundering and fraud patterns.

Assistant Commissioner Leonardo Brown, head of the Technology Branch of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), presented the development of AI within the JCF. From CARICOM IMPACS, Terrance Roopchan, head of the Crime Gun and Gang Intelligence Unit and the Regional Intelligence Fusion Centre Operations Support Unit, and Dale Joseph, Chief Analyst Cyber of the Cyber Fusion Unit, outlined trends in firearms trafficking, gang activity and cybercrime. The head of FIU Aruba, Angelo Brete, added a financial intelligence perspective, showing how unusual transaction reports reveal laundering patterns across sectors and why understanding financial flows is essential to disrupting organized crime.

Throughout the meeting, participants underscored that regional threats require regional responses. Analysts observed that firearms circulate between islands, youth groups connect across borders through social media, drug routes adapt quickly when pressured, and cyber-enabled crime exploits gaps in coordination. The RNA helps close these gaps by strengthening personal connections, accelerating communication, improving access to analytical methods and building a shared understanding of emerging patterns.

The meeting concluded with a renewed commitment from the Board of Chiefs of Police to continue developing the RNA as a permanent annual platform. As CARICOM IMPACS noted during their session: “Collaboration does not cost anything, but fragmentation does.” The 2026 edition of the RNA is expected to be organized in close cooperation with regional partners.

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