On May 28, the same day that Secretary of State and National Security Adviser Marco Rubio announced the designation of two Brazilian criminal gangs as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs), the foreign and security ministers of five Ibero-American nations—Bolivia, Argentina, Chile, Peru and Ecuador—met in Santiago Chile, convened by that country’s President Jose Antonio Kast, to announce the formation of a new regional agreement to collaborate in combating organized transnational crime. In his remarks, Kast described the regional situation as out of control, with nations being overrun by criminal gangs which recruit young people, to be involved in drug trafficking and money laundering, creating border and financial chaos, etc..
The situation is so grave, he said, that it requires major coordination among the region’s countries. Hence, the signing of the Santiago Regional Commitment whose content will be presented to the 56th annual General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) in June so that the action plan the five agreed to “can be extended to the whole continent,” [Mercopress reported today.]( https://es.mercopress.com/2026/05/29/argentina-bolivia-chile-ecuador-y-peru-firman-un-acuerdo-conjunto-para-combatir-la-delincuenc)
Transnational crime has certainly expanded its networks in the region and requires an effective response, including regional and international coordination with competent agencies. The action plan devised by the five governments includes coordinating among their intelligence and police organizations, joint border operations to control the flow of people, merchandise, and surveillance of financial institutions. The joint action plan calls for “concrete actions with measurable and verifiable results.”
