Maritime Law Enforcement in the Eastern Caribbean

The Eastern Caribbean faces maritime threats from transnational criminal organizations, that take advantage of the region’s porous borders to traffic illicit firearms, drugs, and people. To support the member states of the Regional Security System (RSS)—including Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines—to develop a unified operational approach for confronting maritime crime, Strategic Capacity Group (SCG) designed and delivered a project to build the capacity of the RSS and its member states to conduct maritime law enforcement operations and investigations, dismantle transnational organized crime, and streamline criminal justice procedures.

SCG implemented the Eastern Caribbean Organized Crime Investigations Project in support of the Regional Security System (RSS) and the U.S. Government’s Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI) for the Department of State Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) from 2019-2021. The project focused on increasing the capacity of the RSS, including the Member States of Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, to conduct maritime law enforcement operations, criminal investigations, and internal investigations. Activities included:

• Development of an RSS Maritime Law Enforcement Concept of Operations (MLE CONOPS), including Standing Orders and an institutionalized training system.

• Establishment and training of an Eastern Caribbean Transnational Organized Crime (TOC) Task Force and the development of 19 SOPs to support Task Force investigations, including procedures on evidence handling, search warrants, and information sharing. SCG compiled all final SOPs into a TOC Task Force Operational Procedures Guide.   

• Creation of an Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) focused on increasing professionalism, accountability, and transparency regarding criminal investigation and matters of internal affairs – to include an emphasis on anti-corruption and establishing a formal complaint system associated with Task Force criminal investigations and regular activity.  

• Establishment of governing policies and procedures for the OPR and an OPR Operational Procedures Guide and trainings for personnel on their use.  

• Stand up of a Bi-Annual Prosecutor’s Case Review Meeting with the regional Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) offices. Parties established a regional prosecutorial coordination mechanism to guide investigative strategies, provide prosecutorial oversight, and exchange information on concerns and good practices.

• Niger National Police counter narcotics task force, Office Central de Répression du Trafic Illicite des Stupéfiants (OCRTIS), project to improve their management structure, processes, and operational capacity, including enhancing laboratory capacity for illicit substance identification and a Joint Coordination Center for inter-agency coordination.

• Assessment of the anti-corruption initiatives of the General Police Inspectorate, Border Police, and Carabinieri in Moldova.

• Series of Narcotics Investigations Courses for the Malian Central Office of Narcotics, Specialized Judicial Center, Police Narcotics Brigade, Gendarmerie Investigation Services, Forensic Investigation Services, and Customs.