Cross-border crime & illicit finance: INTERPOL warned at its INTERPOL Americas conference in Georgetown that cocaine profits are increasingly being laundered through illegal gold mining, with traffickers also exploiting the same routes for people, firearms, wildlife and crypto-linked fraud; it pointed to Operation Guyana Shield, involving Guyana, Brazil, French Guiana and Suriname, with 24,500+ checks and 198 arrests. Fast intelligence sharing: Prime Minister Mark Phillips stressed that delays in passing intelligence across borders let offenders move first, urging secure, lawful information-sharing so border and police checks can act in time. Regional crackdown results: Operation ATLAS NEXUS wrapped up with 490+ arrests and 156.9 tonnes of drugs and other seized criminal assets, including cases spanning Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe. Space & French Guiana launch impact: ESA’s Sentinel-3C and FLEX missions were launched from the European Spaceport in French Guiana, boosting climate and ocean monitoring; ESA also highlighted the need for Europe to secure autonomous access to space. Digital infrastructure in the region: EllaLink laid branching units for future Brazilian cable links from Cayenne, supporting expansion of Latin America–Europe connectivity. Caribbean telecom leadership: CTU ministers elected Konris Maynard as CTU President during CTU ICT Week in French Guiana, with a push for stronger regional coordination on AI and digital policy.