SEACOP VI - Seaport Cooperation Project

The trafficking of illicit goods -including drugs- is an international phenomenon which has a devastating impact on social and economic development as well as on public health.

Orchestrated by transnational criminal groups operating across different continents and also often involved in other criminal activities (e.g.: kidnapping, money laundering, etc.), illicit goods trafficking has become a primary source of terrorist funding, further destabilising world stability. This phenomenon is difficult to stop due to its fast-changing nature.

One of the most important illicit flow routes through the Atlantic Ocean stretches from Latin America to Europe, by way of the Caribbean and West Africa. As criminal networks constantly adapt their methods, resources and transport routes, it is important to target all affected regions at the same time and to anticipate displacement effects of targeted areas, taking into account the complex criminal environments and the criminal convergence points in all regions of the world.

The overall objective of SEACOP VI is to support the fight against illicit maritime trafficking and associated criminal networks, consistent with human rights in the targeted countries and regions in order to alleviate its negative impact on security, public health, the environment and socio-economic development.

From source to destination, countries located along illicit trafficking routes often suffer harmful consequences that affect daily life. Fostering violence and corruption and undermining good governance, illicit trafficking jeopardises national security and economic prosperity, leads to public health problems and causes significant environmental damage.

That is why, in November 2019, the European Commission’s Directorate General for International Cooperation and Development launched the Global Illicit Flows Programme of the European Union (GIFP), an umbrella programme which supports the fight against organised crime on trans-regional illicit routes, be it in relation to narcotics and the movement of pre-cursor chemicals, illicit arms trafficking, wildlife crime, or illicit financial flows.

Within the framework of this programme, SEACOP VI works with authorities in Latin America, the Caribbean and West Africa, in close cooperation with EU agencies fighting transnational crime and ensuring border security.