Central America
Honduras Seizes Over 26 Tons of Cocaine in 2024, Marking Major Drug-Fighting Achievements
Honduran authorities have seized more than 26 tons of cocaine so far in 2024, reported Friday the Secretary of Security, Gustavo Sánchez.
During a promotion ceremony for National Police officers in the city of La Paz, in western Honduras, Sánchez highlighted “the progress in the fight against organized crime in Honduras,” which includes “the seizure of more than 26 tons of cocaine, the destruction of over 11 million coca bushes, and the removal of more than 15,000 firearms from the streets.”
He added that these achievements have been reached with the support of the Armed Forces.
The police ceremony was led by Honduran President Xiomara Castro, who emphasized that during her administration, which began on January 27, 2022, “the National Police and Armed Forces have dealt significant blows to the drug state inherited from the previous regime, seizing the largest amount of drugs in recent years and destroying thousands of hectares of drug plantations and laboratories.”
Castro also stated that by the end of her term on January 27, 2026, “the police force will meet the United Nations’ recommended standards of 300 police officers for every 100,000 inhabitants.”
The Secretary of Security mentioned that with the new recruits joining the National Police, the total force has risen to 21,500, 25% of whom are women.
According to Sánchez, 2024 has seen the lowest rate of criminal violence in the last 20 years, although the perception from various sectors differs from official figures.
Human rights organizations report that the country experiences between ten and twelve homicides daily, despite a partial and temporary state of emergency declared in December 2022.
Central America
Venezuelan opposition leader to meet Costa Rican president Rodrigo Chaves on thursday
Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo González Urrutia will meet with Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves this Thursday, the Presidential Office of Costa Rica announced today.
“We will give a warm welcome to the person who won the July elections in Venezuela, and we continue to denounce electoral fraud,” President Chaves stated during his weekly press conference.
Meanwhile, Costa Rican Foreign Minister Arnoldo André explained that González Urrutia is visiting Costa Rica to “inform the president and provide details about the situation in Venezuela, the victory he achieved with over 7 million votes on July 28, and the electoral fraud committed by Nicolás Maduro’s regime, which fraudulently swore him in as president.”
González Urrutia is currently in Guatemala, having arrived from the Dominican Republic as part of a tour through several countries ahead of the controversial inauguration on January 10, during which the Chavista leader Nicolás Maduro was sworn in as president by the National Assembly, controlled by the ruling party.
Central America
President Arévalo highlights anti-corruption and drug trafficking efforts in first year report
Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo de León highlighted this Tuesday the progress made in the fight against corruption and drug trafficking as cornerstones of his first year at the helm of the Guatemalan government, during a session in Congress.
“We are in a process of transformation, but the commitment must be focused on eradicating the corruption that has oppressed us for so long,” said the president during the presentation of his first government report.
Arévalo de León urged lawmakers to “work together for structural change” in the country and thanked the president of the Legislative Body, Nery Ramos, for their joint efforts in the approval of various laws and the alliances formed during 2024.
The Guatemalan president highlighted as an achievement of his administration the denunciation of dozens of corruption structures embedded in state entities, such as fraud networks involving businessmen and former officials.
Central America
Honduras arrests former military leaders over 2009 killings
Former Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of Honduras, General Romeo Vásquez, was arrested on Sunday as the alleged person responsible for the 2009 killings of two individuals by military personnel, just days after leading the coup against former President Manuel Zelaya.
Along with him, the Deputy Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Venancio Cervantes, and the former commander of the Joint Operations Command were also detained, according to the Secretary of State for Security (Interior), Gustavo Sánchez, on his social media account X.
“The three arrests were made moments ago by the Honduran Police in coordination with the Public Ministry in Tegucigalpa and La Paz (west),” Sánchez said.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office had issued an arrest warrant for the three ex-military officials “on charges of homicide and aggravated assault” against Obed Murillo and Alex Zavala, who were attacked by “members of the Armed Forces,” according to the Public Ministry.
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