HomeNewsBriefEl Salvador Military Arms Trafficking Probe Reaches Top Officials
BRIEF

El Salvador Military Arms Trafficking Probe Reaches Top Officials

ARMS TRAFFICKING / 22 JUL 2014 BY MARGUERITE CAWLEY EN

Investigations into alleged arms trafficking by members of El Salvador's military have now reached the top, with a former defense minister, and an ex-vice defense minister and police and intelligence chief among those under investigation for the illicit sales of army weapons.

Reports have emerged that on June 23 prosecutors raided the house of former defense minister current Salvadoran Ambassador to Spain General Jose Atilio Benitez as part of investigations into his suspected involvement in selling military weapons. They found the registration for 29 firearms that were supposed to have been destroyed, but did not find the weapons, El Faro reported.  

According to the Salvadoran Attorney General's Office, retired General Francisco Salinas -- a former national police director and ex-State Intelligence Agency director who briefly served as vice defense minister under Atilio -- is also under investigation for his possible role in the scandal and has already given testimony, reported El Diario de Hoy.

Attorney General Luis Martinez said new evidence had emerged -- which he refused to reveal -- that had led prosecutors to widen investigations, and that as part of this, they would be calling various witnesses to newly testify, according to El Diario de Hoy.

InSight Crime Analysis

The current investigations are part of 17 cases that have been opened regarding the illegal sale of hundreds of military arms that were intended to be destroyed. According to El Faro, these cases are based largely on testimony given by a retired coronel who was himself tried for illicit arms sales. 

SEE ALSO: Corruption in El Salvador: Politicians, Police and Transportistas

Arms trafficking allegations have plagued the Salvadoran army for years, with many weapons stolen from military stocks believed to have been sold to criminal organizations including Mexico's Zetas, as well as transnational street gangs the Mara Salvatrucha (MS13) and Barrio 18. In addition to the current ongoing investigations, authorities are looking into the recent disappearance of four M-60 machine guns from an army cache.

The fact the investigations are now reaching powerful officials may be making the country's top military official and current defense minister, David Munguia Payes increasingly nervous. Although a police official told El Faro Munguia Payes' name did not appear in any of the 17 cases in question, last month Attorney General Luis Martinez announced the minister was among several high-level military officials under investigation.

share icon icon icon

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

What are your thoughts? Click here to send InSight Crime your comments.

We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article.

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

Related Content

ARGENTINA / 8 FEB 2023

InSight Crime's 2022 Homicide Round-Up covers more countries than ever before, with a major expansion into nations of the Caribbean.

ELITES AND CRIME / 22 OCT 2021

Business partners of Álex Saab have been indicted by US prosecutors on charges of being part of a multi-million dollar…

COLECTIVOS / 25 APR 2023

“They keep an eye on the transportation and the water. When something is damaged, they work with officials and fix…

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime's Chemical Precursor Report continues to be a reference in the region

19 MAY 2023

For the second week in a row, our investigation into the flow of precursor chemicals for the manufacture of synthetic drugs in Mexico has been cited by multiple regional media…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime’s Chemical Precursor Report Widely Cited

THE ORGANIZATION / 12 MAY 2023

We are proud to see that our recently published investigation into the supply chain of chemical precursors feeding Mexico’s synthetic drug production has been warmly received.

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime’s Paraguay Election Coverage Draws Attention 

5 MAY 2023

InSight Crime looked at the various anti-organized crime policies proposed by the candidates in Paraguay’s presidential election, which was won on April 30 by Santiago Peña. Our pre-election coverage was cited…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Cited in OAS, CARICOM Reports

28 APR 2023

This week, InSight Crime’s work was cited nine times in a new report by the Organization of American States (OAS) titled “The Impact of Organized Crime on Women,…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Staff Cited as Experts by International Media

21 APR 2023

This week, InSight Crime deputy editor, Juan Diego Posada, was interviewed by the Associated Press about connections between the ex-FARC mafia and Brazilian criminal groups, and…