Europe's cocaine boom gives rise to new laundering schemes

The Wall Street Journal published an excellent article this week on the rise in cocaine smuggling to Europe and the role of the strong euro in fueling another lucrative illicit enterprise: euro laundering.

The article raises several interesting and important issues related to the global trade in cocaine:

• Due to the strength of the euro and increased demand for cocaine in Spain and Italy, Europe has become a more lucrative market for narcotraffickers;
• Consumption of cocaine has soared in Western Europe, much of which is smuggled through West Africa where governments struggle to combat poverty, weak law enforcement, and widespread corruption;
• Spain has become an important center for narcotraffickers intent on disguising the origins of currency gained through illicit activities;
• Consumption of cocaine is on the rise in Spain where today 3% of the population uses the drug, compared with 2.3% in the US; this, combined with reports that a kilo of cocaine in Spain now fetches upwards of $43,000 as compared to $12,000-26,000 in the US, gives the Spanish market the potential to rival, perhaps even surpass, the potency of the US market;
• Spain is an important entry-point for cocaine due to its long shoreline, its proximity to Africa and its shared language with Colombian and other South American traffickers;
• Cocaine bound for Europe first is shipped first to West Africa where it is then sent over land or by water into Europe through Spain. Then the ill-gotten gains (euros) are flown back to South America and laundered through casas de cambio or money exchange businesses. That cash is then exchanged (laundered) by sending the euros to the United States where they are exchanged for other forms of currency as part of a seemingly legitimate business transaction.

To learn more about this laundering process, check out the article "Cocaine Boom in Europe Fuels New Laundering Tactics" by Mark Schoofs and Paulo Prada.

International law makes using child soldiers a war crime

It is estimated that at least 1 in every 10 soldiers in the world’s armed conflicts is a child. These young soldiers include not only those who carry weapons, but also children in supportive roles, including cooks, spies, couriers, guards or sex slaves.

In Latin America, Colombia is the country with the most child soldiers. Although it is difficult to determine the actual number of child soldiers in Colombia, experts estimate there to be between 8,000 and 13,000. It is also believed that at least one in four combatants is under 18 years old and that minors comprise up to 30% of certain combat units.

Colombia's left-wing guerrillas and right-wing paramilitaries use thousands of child soldiers despite international regulations prohibiting the practice. For instance, Article 38 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1989, prohibits the recruitment of children younger than 15. The Convention’s Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict (2001) allows for governments to recruit children aged between 15 and 18 under certain conditions, however it prohibits the practice for all other armed groups. Likewise, Article 8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court makes it a war crime to conscript or enlist children under the age of fifteen years into the national armed forces or using them to participate actively in hostilities.

Here's short video that profiles Madeleine, a former child soldier from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) who was interviewed by Al-Jazeera TV earlier this year. I decided to post this clip since it raises another important issue affecting child soldiers, the exploitation of girls in armed conflict.



Additional resources:

• Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers
• Fundación Imaginación (Colombia)
  
• Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict
• War Child International
• Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict
• Paris Principles on children involved in armed forces and armed groups (2007)

Hostages reunited with families (Spanish and English)

CNN Video: Watch another video of the hostages' emotional reunion with family (in English).

Video: A quick tour of my Bogota apartment

Video: One sure-fire way to break up a kitten fight

Video: Good times in Bogota -- Monserrate and BBQ

Last Saturday, August 4th, I climbed up Monserrate for probably the last time this summer. Maggie and I donned our tennis shoes and set out on a mission to set new "personal best" times for this our regular Saturday morning sporting activity. We both pushed ourselves (gasp!) and the result was that we each shaved several minutes from our previous best times! After a few celebratory high-fives and a cup of coffee on top of Monserrate, we decided to take the scenic (and much faster) cable car rather than hiking down the mountain. It was the first time that I had taken the "teleférico" and it was definitely much faster and easier, plus it offered great views of the entire city of Bogota.

Here is a short VIDEO of our ride in the teleférico.



Colombian-style BBQ
After the hike up Monserrate, several of us got together on the patio outside my apartment for a massive Colombian-style BBQ. The festive event was the brainchild of Paula, my new neighbor from Barcelona and co-worker of Maggie. Paula was in charge of organizing the BBQ and the Spaniard went out of her way to ensure that none of us went hungry any time soon. The menu of the day included an (over)abundance of grilled corn, potatoes, plantains, steaks, spicy sausages (chorizo), tripe (thanks, but no thanks), salad, and guacamole served over the span of nearly four hours. The food was quite delicious and aside from the resulting stomach aches, I think that everyone had a great time!

Check out my recent pictures from Monserrate and the BBQ.

Video: Climbing Monserrate

On Saturday, my fearless friend Maggie and I hiked up Monserrate. Here you can watch a video of our adventure.

Video: A call for peace and freedom

While the number of kidappings each year in Colombia has greatly declined in the past few years, today at 12 o'clock the country came to a standstill as over a million people flooded the streets to demand an end to the armed conflict and freedom for the men, women, and children that are still being held hostage by the FARC and other illegal armed groups. There are currently more than 3,000 individuals held in captivity, including some for over nine years.

These demonstrations are the largest since October 1999 when an estimated 5 million Colombians joined in a nationwide protest against violence and kidnappings. While these marches are considered smaller than the events of 1999, others point out that Colombia has never experienced such a widespread and inspiring call for peace since they have successfully mobilized the citizens of not only Bogota but of every major city and town of Colombia.

"This march is by the people of Colombia against violence and against indifference," said Fabiola Perdomo, the widow of one of the 11 local politicians killed by the FARC in June. "The armed groups, the government, the rebels, must look for another solution apart from more war."

Here is a video that I put together of today's demonstrations in northern Bogota.

Video: "Colombia: A paradise to explore"