On September 28-29, 2026, Perry Center Professors Celina Realuyo and David Spencer participated in the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies’ Countering Transnational Organized Crime (CTOC) Conference, “Securing the Logistics Backbone: Cartels, Malign Influence, and Threats to Military Capacity,” in Lisbon, Portugal. The Marshall Center is one of the Perry Center’s sister regional centers.

The conference brought together international security experts from the United States, Europe, Africa, and Latin America and the Caribbean to examine how criminal networks exploit vulnerable ports, logistics hubs, and financial systems to move narcotics, illicit funds, trafficked persons, and other illegal commodities across routes connecting multiple regions. Participants also explored strategies to counter the convergence of transnational organized crime, terrorism, and hostile state actors.

Dr. Spencer chaired a panel on border management, trafficking, and emerging technologies, including drones, artificial intelligence, and sensors, highlighting opportunities for cooperation to strengthen security. Professor Realuyo chaired a panel on regional cooperation in the Western Hemisphere to counter cartels and drug trafficking across the Americas. She also addressed China’s influence on critical infrastructure and supply chains in the region.