The Treaty of San José together with law enforcement collaboration among states and territories in the Caribbean is vital to curbing the trafficking in illicit drugs and psychotropic substances.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the “Workshop on the Treaty of San José”, the Honourable Sir Steadroy Benjamin, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Justice, Public Safety, Immigration and Labour, Antigua and Barbuda said the Treaty, was the bedrock of their commitment to fighting the illegal trade in narcotics and psychotropic substances and will get the country’s full support.

The Workshop, which was held from 16-17 June 2025, in Antigua and Barbuda, was a collaborative effort between the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) and the Government of Antigua and Barbuda and focussed on co-operation in suppressing illicit maritime and air trafficking in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances in the Caribbean area.

Mr. Benjamin stated: “During our four decades of sovereignty, Antigua and Barbuda has demonstrated its strong and lasting adherence to the rule of law among states - especially so when our vital interests are at stake. Keeping our borders safe and our territorial seas free from the criminals who would seek to exploit our weaknesses and vulnerabilities are, after all, your and my responsibility”.

He also took the opportunity to express the Government’s unwavering gratitude to the country’s national law enforcement bodies, which he noted were resolute in their unrelenting efforts to interrupt the flow of narcotics and psychotropic substances that enter into their seas and air space, destined for North America and Europe.

“Safeguarding our state and protecting its people from the dangerous elements that continuously pose threats to our well-being and prosperity, remain our responsibility. By joining hands with those who face identical threats - because we all inhabit the geographic space, which places our island-countries between the suppliers and the demand markets for narcotics and psychotropic substances - the task of safeguarding our Eastern Caribbean sub-region is less burdensome”, the Minister added.

Mr. Callixtus Joseph, Assistant Director (Ag), Policy, Strategy and Innovation, CARICOM IMPACS, explained that for all CARICOM countries, monitoring and securing their Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) was not only essential, but vital to protecting employment and livelihoods, preserving biodiversity as well as realising economic transformation.

He said effective maritime governance demands harmonised legislation, interoperable enforcement procedures, timely information-sharing and a common operational framework rooted in sovereignty and solidarity. “In this regard, the Treaty is a tool of empowerment. It offers the legal certainty, procedural clarity and a cooperative framework needed to interdict suspect vessels across jurisdictions, board and search with mutual authorisation, share intelligence and strengthen maritime situational awareness, and ultimately assert sovereign control over one’s own maritime domain, in partnership with trusted regional actors” he clarified.

Mr. Joseph reaffirmed CARICOM IMPACS’ commitment to working alongside all regional governments to secure shared maritime space and called for the deepening of co-operation, strengthening legal frameworks and transformation of the Caribbean’s oceans into a domain of sustainability, peace and prosperity and prevent it from becoming a corridor for criminal exploitation.