“Socalj” for Borderland Beat
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The recent discovery in Puerto Cortés, Honduras of nearly 500 kilograms (divided into 48,600 vials) of fentanyl, shows that Central American points for criminals to transfer synthetic opioids, such as Guatemala and Honduras, in addition to Mexico are now in the crosshairs.
Traditionally, fentanyl and synthetic chemical precursors are shipped via the Pacific Ocean, from China and India to Mexico and Guatemala. The new route points to the Atlantic Ocean, from Turkey and the Netherlands to Guatemala and now, Honduras.
The fentanyl that arrived in Honduras was on a ship that left the United Kingdom, stopped in Colombia, and finally arrived in Puerto Cortés, with several vials that experts say “could flood Central America. It is being investigated whether its final destination would be the national territory or another country in the Central American region.”
Officials added, “The drugstore that imported this substance had its permit EXPIRED”, and the manifest did not match the declaration made by the drugstore.
Honduran analyst Raúl Pineda Alvarado stated that criminal groups focus on Puerto Cortés, especially Pier Six. “At the port, Pier Six is outside the control of the Honduran authorities and they need to be more careful because it is an access point,” he pointed out.
Increase in Fentanyl Trafficking and Seizures
Generally, US government officials say that the raids stop only 5% to 10% of the total amount of illegal drugs trafficked across the border.
In the US, the transition from heroin to fentanyl has been dramatic. Since 2015, for every American who has had a fatal heroin overdose, seven more people have died from an overdose of fentanyl or its derivatives, with a total of more than 325,000, according to the data from the CDC.