Nicaragua: Army Halts 700 Tons Of Drug Trafficking A Year

The Nicaraguan Army stopped the trafficking of about 700 tons of drugs in a year, as a result of its retaining wall strategy, according to a report presented by the institution.

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General Julio Cesar Avilés, head of the Army, said that drug production in South America is estimated at 3 thousand tons per year, 80 percent of which seeks to pass through Central America on their way to the United States.

"We try to contain and divert as much of the drug as possible from our territory. It is proposed that now we seize less than last year, that the retaining strategy does not work, say those who call themselves specialists, but the success is not in the quantity or volume of drugs that we capture, but in the ability to contain, stop and divert the drug so that it does not enter our territory," said Avilés during the presentation of the report to the Military Council of the Army.

The "Retaining Wall Strategy" is a national strategy to combat organized crime, money laundering, human trafficking, contraband, and other related crimes, developed by the Nicaraguan Army over the years. 

It includes the application of all legal support that ensures that there is no impunity, especially for those people involved in trying to violate or who violate the country's laws, according to the Government.

The latest arrest occurred on July 14, when the Army captured a citizen in the countryside, coming from Honduras. He was transporting three packages containing 1,377 grams of marijuana.

On the other hand, Avilés remarked that since the beginning of the pandemic, about 1 million military personnel had been deployed at the border, which has allowed them to detect illegal entries immediately.