Representatives from Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama and Belize will analyze the regional anti-gang strategy jointly with specialists from the United States Federal Office of Investigation (FBI), Department of Police Los Angeles, Chicago and Fairfax; and the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department.

This is happening at the Central American Anti-Gang Conference, an important regional event that kicked off yesterday, October 17, at the Real Intercontinental hotel in Escazú, San José, Costa Rica.

Participants in the conference will examine gangs and violence in the region, and look closely at the Mara Salvatrucha and the Calle 18 gangs. Additionally, the transnational gang, Barrio Azteca, that operates in the United States and has been responsible for multiple crimes in New Mexico, Texas, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, will be discussed.

It is expected that the meeting will allow for an exchange of information that will allow for the creation of a platform for launching an effective and ongoing fight against transnational gangs.

Costa Rica was selected as the venue for this conference as part of the efforts of the Central American Police Reform Initiative (CAPRI). The new U.S. Ambassador to Costa Rica Sharon Day, who inaugurated the event, said that Costa Rica is the right place to hold this annual conference because of the country’s dedication to fighting crime.

In her address, she said Costa Rica understands the threat posed by gangs, and knows that only through joint efforts can such a threat to communities and collective security be thwarted.

The conference is organized by the U.S. International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP), the U.S. International Narcotics Office (INL), and CAPRI, in conjunction with the Legal Attaché Unit of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Central America, said the press office of the U.S. Embassy in Costa Rica.