HomeNewsBriefNicaragua Violence Points to Expansion of Honduras Groups
BRIEF

Nicaragua Violence Points to Expansion of Honduras Groups

HONDURAS / 5 DEC 2013 BY CHARLES PARKINSON EN

Drug trafficking groups from Honduras are reportedly fueling violence in Nicaragua's Atlantic region through their involvement in the hijacking of drug shipments, in another sign Honduran organizations are emerging as a transnational threat.

According to Brigadier General Bayardo Rodriguez, the Nicaraguan army's chief of military operations, local assassination squads in the Atlantic regions are targeting so-called "tumbadores" -- groups engaged in stealing drug consignments -- which themselves are linked to Honduran drug trafficking organizations, reported La Prensa

The official also highlighted how illegal Honduran groups are crossing into Nicaraguan territory to escape the attention of Honduran military operations against them, with a 600 kilometer stretch of border between Bocay and Waspam witnessing significant incursions from such groups.

According to Rodriguez, one of the difficulties in carrying out effective operations in the Atlantic and northern border regions is the vast expanse of inhospitable, densely vegetated terrain typical of the region.

InSight Crime Analysis

The apparent involvement of Honduran groups in hijacking drug shipments only emphasizes the volatile nature of the sort of drug trafficking found in this part of Central America. Local "transportista" groups receive shipments from South America, often stopping in the Caribbean on the way, destined for the Mexican cartels which transport them into the United States. At this point in the chain, operations can be something of a free-for-all and the instability breeds heightened violence among competing gangs.

SEE ALSO: Nicaragua: A Paradise Lost?

Honduran groups appear to be increasingly active in Nicaraguan territory, with the area known as the Miskito or commonly Mosquito Coast -- which straddles the Atlantic coastlines of both countries -- a hotbed for drug trafficking and cross-border activity from illegal groups. The region has also reportedly become a stop-off for drug flights, while illegal logging in the border area has also been linked to Honduran groups. 

The problem of drug trafficking between the two nations has seen bilateral agreements made in recent years, with the pair the only nations to ratify a regional convention targeting drug trafficking in October, in part driven by problem of trafficking in their common border areas.  

Honduran criminals linked to drug trafficking have also apparently surfaced elsewhere in the region, with Honduran passports recovered during an operation carried out against a network flying drugs into Costa Rica by helicopter.  

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

GUATEMALA / 8 DEC 2021

A transnational labor trafficking network brought dozens of individuals from Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico to the United States under the…

ARGENTINA / 12 SEP 2022

Synthetic drugs like methamphetamine, fentanyl, and ecstasy are reshaping Latin America's drug trade.

COCAINE / 13 APR 2021

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

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…