13/10/23 (Agence Europe) – At the 19th annual meeting of the Network of National Experts on Joint Investigation Teams (JITs), held at Eurojust on Thursday 12 and Friday 13 October, the focus was on strengthening judicial and police cooperation between EU Member States and Latin American countries against organised crime. In view of the major role played by Latin American criminal networks in trafficking drugs, particularly cocaine, into the EU, experts discussed the need for and possibilities of setting up JITs. These entities, considered to be advanced tools in international cooperation, enable joint investigations between several states. The event saw prosecutors from Italy, Brazil and Chile share examples of successful judicial cooperation and discuss future joint initiatives, underlining the importance of these teams in the transnational fight against crime. (NP)