United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
President’s Letter
Dear Delegates,
It is with great pride and joy that I welcome you to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime NOSMUN’26. First and foremost, I am delighted to welcome each one of you to this committee. Whether this is your first MUN conference, or one of many, your presence here reflects your commitment in engaging with pressing global challenges and diplomacy.
Over the course of three days, I am eager to witness your excitement to demonstrate strong debating skills and effective collaboration with your fellow delegates. While UNODC is a beginner committee, it is also a space for growth supporting and enhancing new delegates' experiences, still challenging more experienced ones to refine their statesmanship. From critiquing resolutions to working collectively in order to develop realistic and impactful solutions to complex dilemmas facing our world today.
Our committee will address two urgent and interconnected issues within the global fight against organized crime and drug trafficking. Topic 1, "Addressing the Violence Perpetrated by the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) Organized Crime Group”. The above mentioned topic explores how organized criminal networks undermine public safety, destabilize communities and erode the rule of law, affecting both governance structures and the protection of human rights. Topic 2, “Enhancing Maritime Surveillance to Counter the Rise of Narco-Submarines in Drug Trafficking” which focuses on the evolving methods used by traffickers and the international cooperation required to combat them.
Delegates, I deeply urge you to step beyond your comfort zones, engage actively in debate, question assumptions, and propose innovative yet realistic solutions. What is discussed within this chamber has the potential to mirror real-world action, bringing us closer to an image of a beyond safe and global society where crime does not thrive on inequality nor neglect. Your resolutions can offer hope where fear once prevailed, where diplomacy has always been an art. So speak with conviction, listen with respect, negotiate with purpose, and never underestimate one's strength of unity. It is through cooperation that meaningful and everlasting change begins.
Once again, congratulations on being part of the NOSMUN '26 family. May this experience inspire you to lead thoughtfully, question boldly, and think beyond the committees of this prestigious conference. With that being said, my name is Farah Ghawi, President of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and Deputy Head of Training, and it is my absolute honour to serve as your President for this year's Model United Nations conference.
With peace and respect,
President of UNODC
Topic 1: Addressing the Violence Perpetrated by the Primeiro Comando da Capital Organized Crime Group
The Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) is one of the most powerful and organized criminal groups in Brazil, originally formed in the early 1990s within São Paulo’s prison system. The group originally formed in response to poor prison conditions and government neglect, but it later evolved into a vast criminal network controlling drug trafficking, extortion, and organized violence both inside and outside prisons. Its rise was fueled by corruption, overcrowded prisons, social inequality, and weak state control across impoverished suburbs. Having built extensive communication networks and maintained high internal discipline, the PCC can coordinate criminal operations across the entire nation and even across borders, posing a great challenge to law enforcement agencies.
Furthermore, continued existence and expansion of the PCC translate into devastating effects on public safety, governance, and economic stability. The group's very control over prisons and urban territories undermines state authority, boosts corruption, and perpetuates cycles of violence and fear. Past solutions have included mega police operations, uptight prison management, and the sharing of intelligence among the security forces. However, all these attempts have been limited in scope. These challenges highlight the need for more prominent and effective strategies that can counter the PCC’s power and the conditions that allow it to thrive.
Topic 2: Enhancing Maritime Surveillance to Counter the Rise of Narco-Submarines in Drug Trafficking
A narco-submarine is a low-profile or fully submersible vessel built and used by drug trafficking organizations to secretly transport large quantities of narcotics, mainly cocaine, across long distances while avoiding radar and maritime patrols. These vessels are typically built in hidden backyard shipyards across Latin America and are designed to evade radar, sonar, and aerial surveillance, making this trafficking method one of the hardest to intercept. Key actors involved include Colombian, Ecuadorian, and Mexican cartels, while the United States Coast Guard, U.S. Southern Command, the Colombian and Ecuadorian navies, and European maritime agencies lead most interdiction efforts.
The growing sophistication and stealth of these vessels have put significant pressure on regional and international law enforcement. Despite expanded maritime patrols, limited coastal surveillance capacity, weak governance, and declining international coordination have been traffickers to further expand their operations. Transit regions such as Central America, the Caribbean, West Africa, and Southern Europe are heavily impacted, while major consumer markets like the United States and the European Union unintentionally drive demand. Narco-submarines facilitate the support of transnational organised crime, fund armed group activities, and contribute to environmental destruction when they sink to evade detection. Narco-submarines also pose a risk to regional stability and global maritime security. As previous initiatives, such as Operation Martillo (2012), focused on a regional collaboration alongside drug interdiction initiatives organized by the European Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre- Narcotics (MAOC-N), the development of criminal networks in the region will always be able to circumvent and evolve from these measures.
Study Guides
UNODC Guide 2026
Delegate’s Guide