Brigadier General (Ret.) Juan Carlos Buitrago Arias is a regional and international authority on public security, organized crime, and strategic foresight, with more than three decades of service to Colombia. He holds an Honorary Doctorate (2024) from the Mexican Institute of Leaders of Excellence and is a Certified BASC Auditor. He served as Director of Operations of the National Intelligence Agency and Director of the Fiscal and Customs Police of Colombia. He is the Founder and CEO of Strategos BIP and CIMA (Central de Investigación sobre Comercio Ilícito), and coordinates the “Triángulos Strategy,” a public-private alliance combating illicit trade and criminal networks across Latin America and the Caribbean. He currently leads the Panama Customs Modernization Program and serves as GRANTI Advisor for INL USA Guatemala. Author of six books on organized crime, security, and governance, and a columnist for El Tiempo and Las2Orillas. He has lectured in more than 20 countries and is a member of the Expert Panel of GLACSED (Latin American and Caribbean Group on Security and Democracy).