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Central America investigates traffiking network |
San Salvador / AFP
07/15/2005
The police services of Central America investigate a powerful network of illegal trade of products, traffic of undocumented people and money laundering, which has been operating for ten years in the region, official sources informed this Thursday.
"The criminal organization" is operating from Panama to Guatemala and Mexico , and an investigation is in progress "to stop that organization", said commissioner Douglas Omar García, subdirector of the Nacional Civil Police (PNC) of El Salvador.
García's statements occurred within the framework of the second meeting of Heads of Intelligence and Criminal Investigation of Central America, that took place this Thursday in San Salvador , as a follow up to the one conducted in April in Managua , Nicaragua.
The encounter in San Salvador addressed the investigation of the mentioned criminal network whose track is being followed by the police, as well as the fight against the maras (gangs) that operate mainly in Guatemala , El Salvador and Honduras.
"We are trying to unify the information on arms traffic, access to arms, sale of arms to gang members in the area ", García said.
The Salvadoran confirmation that Mara 18 (M-18), one of two biggest gangs operating in the country, have bought arms in Nicaragua takes place after police intelligence seized assault rifles AK-47 from gang members in the community of Lourdes, about 20 km to the west of San Salvador.
The third point of the meeting of this Thursday, it was the establishment of a common base of intelligence and investigation of gang members who operate in the region with the purpose of "having better communication” among the security forces, said García.
According to police estimates, about 20,000 gang members operate in Guatemala , 10,500 in El Salvador and more than 30,000 in Honduras . |
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