SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — In 2024, Central America recorded unprecedented cocaine seizures; however, vast amounts of the drug continued to reach global consumer markets, highlighting the resilience and adaptability of Latin America’s trafficking networks.
Despite multiton interdictions from Honduras to Panama, authorities say their efforts may have only marginally disrupted the cocaine trade, which saw production and distribution reach historic levels last year.
Shifts in trafficking routes and renewed international cooperation—particularly with the United States—have influenced the sharp rise in reported seizures, according to a new InSight Crime report.
Honduras
In Honduras, cocaine seizures varied widely across government agencies, with the Security Secretariat reporting 26 tons, the Defense Secretariat 23.2 tons, and the National Police just 6 tons.
Regardless of the discrepancies, all figures marked an increase from 6.5 tons in 2023.
Officials attribute the spike to a shift from aerial to maritime smuggling, as well as the U.S. decision in 2023 to resume sharing radar intelligence with Honduran authorities, nine years after halting cooperation due to aerial interdictions that led to civilian deaths.
Guatemala
In Guatemala, seizures jumped 264% from 5 tons in 2023 to 18.2 tons in 2024. The surge coincided with the inauguration of President Bernardo Arévalo, whose administration has intensified drug interdiction efforts.
The increase contrasts sharply with the previous administration under Alejandro Giammattei.
El Salvador
El Salvador experienced the region’s most dramatic rise, with authorities seizing 22.6 tons, an increase of 606% over 2023.
Officials credited enhanced maritime collaboration between the Salvadoran Navy and U.S. forces for at least 13 tons of seizures in international waters.
The Pacific corridor remains a major route connecting South American producers with U.S. consumers.
Costa Rica
Costa Rica also saw a substantial increase, confiscating 27 tons in 2024, up from 21.4 tons the year before.
Authorities launched “Operation Caribe,” targeting criminal activity in Limón, a key trafficking zone on the Caribbean coast.
As enforcement intensified in the east, smugglers shifted to the Pacific province of Puntarenas, which became a hotbed for seizures by year’s end.
Panama
Panama, home to the strategic Panama Canal, reported a modest increase in seizures—99.3 tons in 2024 compared to 95.7 tons in 2023.
While the canal’s high surveillance discourages traffickers, competition among local gangs over port access and domestic sales remains fierce.
Port cities continued to be the epicenters of drug-related enforcement operations.
SEE ALSO: 5 Years Post-Pandemic: How Organized Crime Has Evolved in Latin America and the Caribbean
Authorities across the region have ramped up their anti-drug efforts. However, experts say the massive seizures likely scratch only the surface of the total cocaine flow—showing just how big, flexible, and dangerous the drug trade is.
