30th Parliamentary Intelligence-Security Forum – Transnational Organized Crime, Illicit Trade and Drug Trafficking

The Honorable Víctor González thanked the hosts and spoke in Spanish out of respect for El Salvador, noting the country’s remarkable transformation from past insecurity to a safer environment. He highlighted how improved public safety has restored hope among Salvadorans, reduced migration pressures, and allowed citizens to live normal lives comparable to those in Europe.

González addressed transnational organized crime, describing Central America as a key corridor for cocaine trafficking to the United States and emphasizing its human cost. He attributed the persistence of criminal networks to geography, institutional weakness, and systemic corruption, which have led to extreme violence, forced migration, and weakened state authority.

He stressed that organized crime now operates as a global, technology-driven parallel economy, using drones, cryptocurrencies, and dark-web markets to expand illicit activities across multiple sectors. González outlined the need for integrated regional intelligence, advanced technological investment, disruption of criminal financial structures, and stronger state presence in vulnerable territories.

He concluded by warning about the security risks posed by Cuban nationals recruited to fight in Ukraine and emphasized that confronting today’s transnational, technologically sophisticated criminal ecosystem requires coordinated, international, and innovative responses.