Honduras locates 1.5 tons of cocaine in mangrove area in last 48 hours

Honduran security forces seized more than 900 kilograms of cocaine hidden in a mangrove area in the south of the country. This latest discovery brings the total amount of drugs confiscated in less than 48 hours to over 1.5 tons, following an earlier seizure of 648 kilograms in the same region.

Authorities have not ruled out the possibility of finding more drugs as searches continue, according to Edgardo Barahona, spokesperson for the Secretariat of Security. The second shipment, comprising 37 bundles, was apparently transported by speedboats and concealed within the mangrove vegetation along the border departments of Choluteca and Valle, which lie adjacent to Nicaragua and El Salvador, respectively.

Agents from the National Anti-Drug Police Directorate and Special Forces located the packages by taking advantage of the low tide. These operations were initiated after the initial discovery of 648 kilograms of cocaine, estimated to be worth approximately 175 million lempiras (about $6.5 million). The National Police and the Special Prosecutor's Office Against Organized Crime are working to identify the criminal organization behind the operation, as well as the origin and destination of the cargo. No arrests have been made at this time.

Official figures indicate that prior to these recent seizures, the total amount of cocaine confiscated in Honduras so far this year was just over 1.5 tons, representing an estimated economic impact of nearly 500 million lempiras (about $19 million) for drug trafficking organizations. This underscores the significance of the recent confiscations in the mangrove area. Honduran territory is frequently used by national and foreign traffickers to transport drugs from South America to the United States.

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However, authorities do not rule out that the figure of seized drugs may increase as the searches progress.