In October, in Xalapa, Veracruz, 30 prosecutors, 18 police investigators and nine forensics experts from the Veracruz Attorney General's Office participated in an Interdisciplinary Exchange, at the facilities of the Veracruz Public Security Secretariat's training academy, the Center for Security Studies and Research (CEIS-SSPVeracruz). With four experienced instructors from the US, the participants explored the importance of working as a team to prepare and prosecute a criminal case, from investigation through oral trial. 

Puebla Attorney General Victor Antonio Carranca Bourget, was a featured speaker at the 7th Annual Prescription Drug Abuse Symposium, hosted by Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller and the Indiana Prescriptions Drug Abuse Prevention Task Force, in Indianapolis, Indiana, in October. General Carranca addressed International Efforts to Reduce Heroin Supply from a Mexican Perspective.

 

On October 20th, Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes was awarded an honorary doctorate in recognition of his work combatting human trafficking. Reyes was honored along with Mexican movie producer Eduardo Verastegui and the founder of Operation Underground Railroad Tim Ballard. Verastegui announced that his next film project, "The Sound of Freedom," will address the fight against human trafficking and will feature a character based on Reyes. The honorary doctorate was granted by the Iberoamerican Doctoral Faculty, the Leadership Today Foundation and the Latin-American University of Mexico, among other organizations.

 

In October, Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich and Nuevo Leon Attorney General Roberto Carlos Flores Treviņo served as panelists at the University of Texas Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law Mexico Security Initiative. The Generals participated in a moderated discussion titled "The Mexico Security Challenge and its Impact on the United States." Detailed reporting of the event is available here.

In November, Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich traveled to Hermosillo, Sonora, to meet with Sonora Attorney General Rodolfo Montes de Oca Mena. The Generals discussed possible avenues for greater cooperation on matters of importance to both, including transborder criminal activity, particularly money laundering and human trafficking.

 

New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas traveled to Mexico City in December to meet with a number of officials, including the new head of the Mexican Federal Attorney General's Special Prosecutor's Office for Crimes of Violence Against Women and Human Trafficking (FEVIMTRA), to discuss human trafficking and issues surrounding violence against women and children. General Balderas also met with officials at the National Banking and Securities Commission (CNBV) to discuss collaborative anti-money laundering efforts between Mexico and New Mexico.