PHILIPSBURG:--- As Sint Maarten prepares to celebrate Thanksgiving, observed annually on the first Sunday of December, the Sint Maarten Library is pleased to announce a generous donation of new books to our children’s section from the Euton family.
Liesa Euton, on behalf of her family, shared that the donation was inspired in part by her niece, Leila Euton-Lambert, a student at Milton Peters College who completed her Social Studies internship at the Sint Maarten Library earlier this year. This gift reflects the family’s commitment to supporting literacy and giving back to the community.
The Sint Maarten Library warmly welcomes this donation, which helps enrich our resources, foster a love of reading, and support the educational development of children across the island.

ORANJESTAD, ARUBA:--- The College Financieel Toezicht (Cft), the board responsible for financial supervision in Curaçao and Sint Maarten, has issued a formal response to the Curaçao Gaming Authority (CGA) regarding public comments about a potential investigation. In a letter dated December 3, 2025, the Cft acknowledged its error and clarified its position on financial oversight and integrity.
The letter, addressed to Minister of Finance Javier Silvania, comes after the minister contacted the Cft on December 1. The CGA had previously confirmed to both the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Finance that it was not aware of any ongoing investigation into its operations by the Public Prosecutor's Office.
In its response, the Cft accepted the CGA's clarification. The supervisory board stated, "Upon further consideration, we agree with you that it would have been better if the Cft, in its public letters, had referred only to investigations confirmed by official channels." The Cft has committed to ensuring this standard is met in all future communications and has issued an amended version of its third Implementation Report to reflect this correction.
While retracting its previous reference, the Cft maintained that matters of integrity fall within its supervisory framework when they have the potential to impact public finances or the quality of financial management. The board emphasized that integrity and sound financial governance are fundamentally linked.
The Cft referenced Curaçao's own constitution to support its position, noting that the Explanatory Memorandum states, "The country of Curaçao aims to conduct efficient financial management. In this context, legal rules are established to guarantee the integrity of the administration and the soundness of financial management (Article 86)."
The letter concludes with the Cft expressing hope that its response has addressed the government's concerns and provided sufficient information on the matter.

PHILIPSBURG:--- An unsettling incident at the Simpson Bay detention center has brought serious ethical questions to the forefront of the Ministry of Justice. A Chinese immigrant, detained at the facility, is reportedly the victim of theft, with $450 missing from the personal funds he surrendered upon his arrest. This case raises significant concerns about accountability and integrity within the justice system.
According to sources, senior officials at the Ministry of Justice, including the Minister, were made aware of the theft approximately two weeks ago. Despite this knowledge, no apparent action has been taken to replace the stolen money or hold anyone accountable for the missing funds. This lack of response is particularly troubling as the detainee is scheduled for departure from the island next week, leaving little time for a resolution.
The incident highlights a potential breakdown in the protocols designed to protect the property of individuals in custody. When people are detained, their personal belongings are cataloged and stored for safekeeping. The disappearance of funds under these circumstances points to a breach of trust and a failure of duty by those responsible for the facility's management.
This specific case may also be indicative of broader, systemic problems. Sources suggest that this is not an isolated event and that other unethical matters within the Justice Ministry are being kept from public view. This alleged pattern of concealing issues rather than addressing them undermines public confidence and suggests a culture that lacks transparency.
The theft of a detainee's money, while a seemingly small amount, carries significant weight. It speaks to the vulnerability of those within the justice system and the absolute necessity for officials to act with unwavering integrity. For the system to be perceived as fair and just, it must protect the rights and property of everyone, regardless of their status.
The Ministry of Justice now faces a critical test. Swiftly replacing the stolen funds and launching a transparent investigation to identify the responsible party would be a crucial first step toward restoring faith. Anything less sends a message that such misconduct is tolerated, further eroding the principles of justice and accountability that the community expects and deserves.

Santo Domingo:--- More than forty crime analysts and specialists from around twenty Caribbean jurisdictions gathered in Santo Domingo for the third Regional Network Meeting for Crime Analysts (RNA), held under the theme STRATEGIC INSIGHTS: CRIMINAL NETWORKS, FINANCIAL CRIME, DRUG FLOWS AND THE ROLE OF AI (Artificial Intelligence). The event was organized by the Board of Chiefs of Police of the Dutch Caribbean, who emphasized that no island can effectively counter cross-border crime alone and that strong regional cooperation is essential.

The RNA was opened by Leonne van Vlimmeren, Deputy Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the Dominican Republic; Vice Admiral José Manuel Cabrera Ulloa, head of the Dominican Republic’s Dirección Nacional de Control de Drogas (DNCD); and Raymond Ellis, Chief of Police of Curaçao and representative of the Board of Chiefs of Police of the Dutch Caribbean. Van Vlimmeren described the RNA as ‘a unique forum where analysts build trust, recognize shared patterns and support each other across borders.’ Cabrera Ulloa underlined that organized crime moves swiftly between jurisdictions and that ‘our response must be coordinated, informed and rooted in shared intelligence.’ Ellis added: ‘Analysts turn fragments into clarity. When they connect across islands, criminal networks lose one of their biggest advantages.’

Over the course of three days, analysts from Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Aruba, Bonaire, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Curaçao, the Dominican Republic, France, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Martin, Sint Maarten, Saint Lucia, Surinam, the Netherlands, Trinidad & Tobago and the United States Virgin Islands delivered their latest analyses. Together, their presentations created a broad regional crime overview, covering firearms incidents, homicide trends, drug flows, youth-involved violence, coastal vulnerabilities, inter-island group dynamics, cyber-enabled crime and the growing influence of digital platforms on criminal behaviour.

The programme also included several expert contributions that helped place these developments in a broader context. Dr. Evan Ellis outlined how geopolitical shifts are reshaping the Caribbean, noting that the region is no longer merely a transit zone but increasingly part of the logistical chain for cocaine and other illicit goods. Experts from the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) showed how the Caribbean has evolved into a logistics platform for cocaine storage, repackaging and redistribution, and stressed the link between drug flows and firearms. Technology and intelligence development were addressed by John Bloebaum and Thom Snaphaan, who underlined the importance of clear operational questions and demonstrated how financial crime scripting helps expose laundering and fraud patterns.

Assistant Commissioner Leonardo Brown, head of the Technology Branch of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) presented the development of AI in the JCF. From CARICOM IMPACS, Terrance Roopchan, head of the Crime Gun and Gang Intelligence Unit and the Regional Intelligence Fusion Centre Operations Support Unit, and Dale Joseph, Chief Analyst Cyber of the Cyber Fusion Unit, highlighted trends in firearms trafficking, gang activity and cybercrime. The head of FIU Aruba, Angelo Brete, added a financial perspective, demonstrating how unusual transaction reports reveal laundering patterns across sectors and why understanding financial flows is essential for disrupting organized crime.

The central message throughout the meeting was clear: regional threats demand regional responses. Analysts noted that firearms circulate between islands, youth groups connect across borders through social media, drug routes adapt quickly under pressure and cyber-enabled crime exploits gaps in coordination. The RNA helps close those gaps by strengthening personal connections, accelerating communication, improving access to analytical methods, and enabling a shared understanding of emerging patterns.

The meeting concluded with a renewed commitment from the Board of Chiefs of Police to continue developing the RNA as a permanent annual platform. As CARICOM IMPACS noted during their session: ‘Collaboration does not cost anything, but fragmentation does.’ The 2026 edition of the RNA is expected to be organized in close cooperation with regional partners.