HomeNewsBriefHonduras, Nicaragua Deepen Military Cooperation Along Border
BRIEF

Honduras, Nicaragua Deepen Military Cooperation Along Border

HONDURAS / 23 APR 2015 BY LOREN RIESENFELD EN

Honduras and Nicaragua have signed a cooperation agreement for anti-narcotics operations along their shared border, underscoring increased efforts to improve security in recent years. 

On April 22, representatives from the Honduran and Nicaraguan militaries signed a security agreement in Nicaraguan capital Managua to fight drug trafficking and organized crime in the border region, reported Spanish news agency EFE

The accord came on the heels of a joint operation along the border between April 1 and April 22 that resulted in the capture of 121 people who were either alleged criminals or lacked proper migration documents, reported La Prensa. During the operation, security forces also destroyed two clandestine airstrips and seized 450 kilos of cocaine, 410 kilos of marijuana, and 71 cows. The Nicaraguan army also dismantled a criminal network dedicated to growing and smuggling marijuana. 

InSight Crime Analysis

The agreement provides further evidence that Honduran officials are investing resources in improving the country's security situation and increasing interdiction efforts. Honduras has also recently expanded security operations along its violent northern border with Guatemala, creating a joint task force that began operations in January.  

Although the Honduras-Guatemala border is more commonly associated with contraband, Honduras' border with Nicaragua is also a major contraband smuggling route -- especially when it comes to the illegal cattle trade. Last year, police reported that 22,000 heads of cattle were smuggled into Honduras over a three-month period.

SEE ALSO: Honduras News and Profiles

The fact that authorities destroyed two clandestine airstrips is also notable. In January, the Honduran military claimed that no drug flights entered the country in 2014. While the fact that security forces are still destroying clandestine airstrips along the border with Nicaragua shows this assertion should be viewed with skepticism, there are certainly reasons to believe drug flights have been reduced. The US State Department estimated that 60 percent of drug flights leaving South America landed in Honduras in 2014, down from 75 percent in 2013, a far cry from the military’s claim but a significant improvement nonetheless. 

With drug flights reduced, another challenge remains for Honduras and Nicaragua: combatting the maritime drug trade. The US State Department estimates that 80 to 90 percent of the cocaine smuggled through Honduras comes by sea, while Nicaragua's Atlantic coast is a stop-off point for traffickers transporting cocaine in go-fast boats.

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

COCAINE / 29 JUL 2022

The case of a Honduran broker who laundered cartel money has shed light on the importance of US banks.

COCAINE / 13 APR 2021

The dismantling of a Costa Rican drug gang that worked with agents in an elite investigative unit to steal cocaine…

DISPLACEMENT / 2 JUN 2021

The number of displaced people within Mexico has increased for the first time in three years, indicating that the country's…

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela Coverage Continues to be Highlighted

3 MAR 2023

This week, InSight Crime co-director Jeremy McDermott was the featured guest on the Americas Quarterly podcast, where he provided an expert overview of the changing dynamics…

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela's Organized Crime Top 10 Attracts Attention

24 FEB 2023

Last week, InSight Crime published its ranking of Venezuela’s ten organized crime groups to accompany the launch of the Venezuela Organized Crime Observatory. Read…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime on El País Podcast

10 FEB 2023

This week, InSight Crime co-founder, Jeremy McDermott, was among experts featured in an El País podcast on the progress of Colombia’s nascent peace process.

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Interviewed by Associated Press

3 FEB 2023

This week, InSight Crime’s Co-director Jeremy McDermott was interviewed by the Associated Press on developments in Haiti as the country continues its prolonged collapse. McDermott’s words were republished around the world,…

THE ORGANIZATION

Escaping Barrio 18

27 JAN 2023

Last week, InSight Crime published an investigation charting the story of Desafío, a 28-year-old Barrio 18 gang member who is desperate to escape gang life. But there’s one problem: he’s…