Honduras Becomes Main Transit Route For Cocaine Trafficking

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Honduras Becomes Main Transit Route For Cocaine Trafficking
By MARK STEVENSON 10/30/11 10:55 AM ET

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras -- On Honduras' swampy Mosquitia coast, entire villages have made a way of life off the country's massive cocaine transshipment trade. In broad daylight, men, women and children descend on passing go-fast boats to offload bales of cocaine destined for the United States.

Along the Atlantic coast, the wealthy elite have accumulated dozens of ranches, yachts and mansions from the drug trade.

And in San Pedro Sula, local gangs moving drugs north have spawned armies of street-level dealers whose violence has given the rougher neighborhoods of the northern industrial city a homicide rate that is only comparable to Kabul, Afghanistan.

Long an impoverished backwater in Central America, Honduras has become a main transit route for South American cocaine.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/30/honduras-south-american-cocaine_n_1066325.html

[Marazinia]

1. Possibly not coincidentally

The US has been screwing around in Honduras lately.

[MuseRider]

2. This is sad.

I met some of the nicest people you would ever want to know there. It was always a circus with all the crap going on, stopped buses and getting off every few miles for male children with big guns to inspect you and your stuff, no flying during the dark hours, turrets with guns on the runways and entrance inspection by those same guys with the big guns but get away from that and the people were lovely and kind. It always was creepy getting in and getting out, especially the mess at San Pedro Sula but I loved going there and would love to go back one day.

[BuddhaGirl]

4. My brother lives in La Ceiba

and we visited there a couple of years ago. Every time we saw a fancy SUV, my brother said it was a drug dealer...and we saw them A LOT. Saw guns visible on the drivers sometimes as well! :scared:

But, the people were so nice and hospitable - if I visit again I would live to go to the Bay Islands sometime. :-)

[webDude]

3. We would legalize, but the profit is too great. What'cha wanna bet that...

...ain't true?