ORANJESTAD - An intensive week of police collaboration on Aruba has resulted in three new criminal investigations into firearms-related crime. From 10 to 14 November, detectives from across the Kingdom of the Netherlands joined forces to tackle the growing problem of illegal weapons in the Caribbean region.
For an entire week, analysts and investigators from Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, the Caribbean Netherlands, and the Netherlands worked side by side in a shared operations room. Their focus: mapping how firearms are traded and transported between the islands. The teams combined local intelligence with international data sources, creating a clearer picture of the networks involved.
Early findings show that firearms trafficking is closely linked to drug operations. Criminal groups operate across multiple jurisdictions, often using the same smuggling routes and intermediaries. This shared intelligence is now feeding into ongoing cases and has already formed the basis for several new investigations.
Aruba’s police chief, Ramon Arnhem, stressed the importance of regional cooperation. The urgency of the issue was underscored during the operation itself, when a serious firearms incident occurred on the island.
The March pilot edition of this collaborative effort was considered a test run. This second edition has now demonstrated that the joint approach delivers real, actionable results. A new session is planned for next year and will include cooperation with CARICOM IMPACS to further strengthen the region’s collective response to firearms and organized crime.