The United States has launched a new funding program worth US$44 million to strengthen collaboration and increase the capacity of island nations in the Pacific region to eradicate transnational crime, especially drug smuggling.
Hot Topics
US Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL) F. Cartwright Weiland said that the funding initiative was announced at the US-Pacific Islands Conference of Police Ministers.
"This funding includes US$7 million for a new regional crime-fighting center in Palau, which will facilitate maritime law enforcement training," Weiland said in an online media briefing attended.
The funding will also be used to support the strengthening of financial intelligence and cybercrime units in the region.
The agency launched a funding program to address drug trafficking and cross-border crime in the Pacific region in 2021, totaling US$6 million. Currently, the funding commitment has exceeded US$60 million.
"In 2024, we opened our first official representative office in Suva, Fiji. We plan to continue expanding our involvement in the coming years," he said.
Weiland said the financial support was motivated by the increasing prevalence of drug smuggling carried out by syndicates in the Pacific region.
By May 2026, law enforcement officials across the Pacific region had seized 17 tonnes of illegal narcotics, more than a threefold increase compared to the entire year of 2025.
"In the US, nearly 68,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in the last year of record. This means that every day, nearly 185 American families face the reality that their loved ones will never return home," he said.
Weiland stated that Pacific island nations are experiencing similar problems. Psychiatric wards are reportedly overcrowded, while numerous cocaine-carrying boats are stranded on beaches.
Tags:
america