Costa Rica Friday stepped up to the international plate in the battle against drug trafficking, organized crime and terrorism by assuming a one-year stint heading the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF).

This organization is made up of 30 states of the Caribbean Basin that have agreed to implement common measures to address these problems, according to the group's Web site. Its member countries include Aruba, Belize, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua and Venezuela.

José Torres, Vice-Minister of the Presidency and Director of the Costa Rican Institute Against Drugs (ICD), will act as president of the organization, according to a statement from Casa Presidencial.

“Today we have the opportunity to continue … strengthening the organization, the fight against money laundering, drug trafficking and the financing of terrorism,” Torres said to a group of more than 150 representatives from countries around the region during the conclusion of a weeklong meeting of the group held outside San José. “More than an opportunity, it's a demand and denouncement that has its origin in the multiple threats to security and the destabilization of the democratic states in our region.”

He remarked on the need for better coordination among countries to understand and stop organized crime.

Among tasks ahead for the group this year are improving the region's response to criminal activity and achieving better cooperation among international organizations, the statement said.

-Tico Times