A two-day forum in Mexico City co-organised by the Council of Europe’s drug policy platform the Pompidou Group assembled representatives from all over the world to coordinate policy against drug trafficking threats that target youth online.
Mexico, which has been a member of the 41-member state Pompidou Group since 2017, hosted the forum at the Mexican Ministry for Security and Citizen Protection, with the co-organisation of the Mexican Foreign Ministry, with the participation of the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD) of the Organization of American States (OAS).
One emerging threat that was discussed was the increasing use of online gaming platforms by drug traffickers to recruit young people into illicit drug trading.
Pompidou Group Deputy Executive Secretary Thomas Kattau explained how Mexico was the first country to discover this recent trend. As the darknet is losing popularity among drug cartels – because the authorities have become more effective in monitoring it – online video games and social networks are now being used to lure youth into illicit drug trading, because such gaming platforms are not well monitored. Anyone can build a virtual relationship with any other player, enabling traffickers to encounter young players through emoticons, Kattau explained. While all young people are at risk, young adolescents, especially those from poorer backgrounds, can be groomed to make illegal drug deals.
Secretary Rosa Icela Rodríguez of the Mexican Ministry for Security and Citizen Protection pointed out the pool of possible targets: some 72% of boys and girls aged 6 to 11 surf the web, 92% between the ages of 12 and 17 and 95% between 19-24 years old. “The Mexican government has made it a priority to establish prevention strategies for young people,” she said, “which is why we are holding this forum.”
In opening speeches, key participants welcomed international cooperation that the forum fostered to face such threats against youth, including Alejandro Celorio Alcántara, Principal Legal Adviser to the Mexican Foreign Ministry and Angela Crowdy, CICAD Assistant Executive Secretary.
