Judicial and law enforcement authorities from across the Eastern Caribbean recently convened in Saint Lucia to significantly enhance regional cooperation and strategies aimed at dismantling organised gangs and their involvement in international drug trafficking.
The high-level seminar, titled Gangs of the Eastern Caribbean and Their Involvement in International Drug Trafficking, was hosted by the French Embassy to Barbados and the OECS from November 13 to 14, 2025.
The event brought together over 120 distinguished participants, including Attorneys General, judges, magistrates, senior police and gendarmerie officers, senior intelligence officials and representatives from correctional institutions. They represented 11 Caribbean countries and territories – including Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Dominica, Saint Lucia, Barbados, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, St Marteen and Jamaica – as well as mainland France and even Croatia.
Attendees engaged in in-depth discussions on their respective legal frameworks and practices, working toward a shared, coordinated regional approach essential for effectively addressing increasingly organised transnational criminal groups.
In a pre-recorded message, French Minister for Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot underscored the importance of the gathering, reaffirming France’s steadfast commitment to combating organised crime and drug trafficking. The seminar forms a core part of the French plan, “Drug Trafficking: Eradicating the Problem at its Roots”.
The Minister concluded his message by emphasising that “this partnership embodies the shared determination and mutual trust that unite us in this fight”, signalling a strong commitment to sustained collaboration.
The French Embassy said the seminar marked a significant step forward in fostering regional security cooperation and reaffirmed its strong commitment to strengthening partnerships with the Eastern Caribbean States.
