On March 24th, the Honduran navy conducted a successful operation in the Caribbean Sea, seizing more than 1.3 tons of cocaine originating from Colombia. Ten suspected drug traffickers were apprehended during the operation. The interception took place near the Bay Islands, approximately 30 nautical miles off the coast of Honduras, where three vessels, one large and two small, were intercepted while the suspects were in the process of transferring the drugs.
Since the 1970s, Honduras has been a key transit point for cocaine trafficking from South America to the United States. In addition to being a transit country, Honduras is also known for marijuana and cocaine production. President Xiomara Castro, who took office in January 2022, has vowed to combat drug cartels. This commitment comes in the wake of her predecessor, Juan Orlando Hernandez, being convicted on March 8, 2024, by a federal jury in New York for international drug trafficking. Hernandez allegedly facilitated the transport of over 500 tons of cocaine to the United States during his two terms in office from 2014 to 2022.
With a crime index of 7.05, according to criteria established by the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime (GITOC), Honduras ranks as the second most dangerous country in Central America, following Mexico.
