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First Annual Review of U.S.-CARICOM Crime Gun Intelligence Unit Cooperation
November 4, 2024
On October 31, the United States and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) co-hosted a high-level interagency coordination meeting to strengthen U.S.-Caribbean cooperation to counter firearms trafficking through the CARICOM Crime Gun Intelligence Unit (CGIU).
Convened under the auspices of the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI) in Washington DC, the U.S. delegation included representatives from the National Security Council, Office of the Vice President, Department of State, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice, and Department of Commerce. Caribbean participants included the leadership of the Caribbean Community Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (CARICOM IMPACS) and the CARICOM Crime Gun Intelligence Unit (CGIU).
Launched in 2022 to improve information sharing among Caribbean and U.S. law enforcement agencies, the CGIU now includes a manager, an investigator, and six intelligence analysts funded by CARICOM. Law enforcement agencies from Barbados, The Bahamas, Guyana, Jamaica, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines have seconded personnel to the CGIU. Over the last two years, the Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) has provided $2.2 million to support this important initiative, co-funded by CARICOM.
The United States and CARICOM IMPACS convened this meeting pursuant to a commitment in the Dialogue Joint Statement of the Eleventh Caribbean-U.S. Security Cooperation Dialogue to provide robust support to the CGIU and promote the development and sharing of crime gun intelligence within the region and between international law enforcement partners.
