HomeNewsBriefNicaragua Police Tout Security Advances Under Ortega
BRIEF

Nicaragua Police Tout Security Advances Under Ortega

NICARAGUA / 30 AUG 2011 BY ELYSSA PACHICO EN

Police in Nicaragua have arrested over 21,000 people and seized 42 tons of cocaine since 2006, according to police statistics.

El Nuevo Diario published a graphic (see below) illustrating the accomplishments of the Nicaraguan police force during the past five years, just before President Daniel Ortega assumed office in 2007. The data includes the amount of drugs, weapons, property and vehicles that police reportedly seized during this time.

Since 2006, the police have recruited over 3,000 officers, and now numbers 11,613 officials. The force has built 42 new police stations and doubled the number of vehicles in use, according to the report.

The U.S. State Department has praised the Nicaraguan Navy as one of the U.S.'s most effective partners in the region. The police force, however, are not seen as nearly effective. In 2010, the government's decision to disband a U.S.-trained anti-corruption police unit was met with disapproval from the U.S. The Ortega administration argued that the unit was too expensive to maintain, but the decision did little to improve the image of the Nicaraguan police as a poorly paid, corrupt and ineffectual force.

In 2010, Nicaraguan security forces -- including the police, navy and military -- seized 17.5 metric tons of cocaine and over $8.4 million worth in criminal assets, according to U.S. State Department statistics.

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.

Tags

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

CONTRABAND / 18 MAY 2022

Cattle from Mexico and the Central American nations of Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua help feed the domestic beef markets of…

ARGENTINA / 1 FEB 2022

In 2021, most countries in Latin America and the Caribbean experienced a marked increase in murders. Resurgent violence was to…

COCAINE / 15 JUL 2021

Nicaraguan Fisherman Ted Hayman Forbes and his drug trafficking network operated from Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and the Colombian island…

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

All Eyes on Ecuador

2 JUN 2023

Our coverage of organized crime in Ecuador continues to be a valuable resource for international and local news outlets. Internationally, Reuters cited our 2022 Homicide Round-Up,…

WORK WITH US

Open Position: Social Media and Engagement Strategist

27 MAY 2023

InSight Crime is looking for a Social Media and Engagement Strategist who will be focused on maintaining and improving InSight Crime’s reputation and interaction with its audiences through publishing activities…

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela Coverage Receives Great Reception

27 MAY 2023

Several of InSight Crime’s most recent articles about Venezuela have been well received by regional media. Our article on Venezuela’s colectivos expanding beyond their political role to control access to…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime's Chemical Precursor Report Continues

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.