Cartels Expanding Fentanyl Trafficking Routes to Honduras and Guatemala

"Socalj" for Borderland Beat

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.

Security Minister Gustavo Sanchez said in a social media post that the record haul of 493 kilograms (1,087 pounds) of fentanyl came on a ship that originated in Britain and arrived at the Cortes port, due north of the industrial city of San Pedro Sula, on Honduras' Atlantic Coast.

The seizure at Pier Six in Puerto Cortés of nearly 500 kilograms of fentanyl raised alarms in Honduras, which has been ravaged by cartel violence and political corruption tied to the trafficking of cocaine from South America. Now the country is being used as a transfer point for fentanyl. Former President Juan Orlando Hernandez is awaiting trial in the United States on cocaine trafficking charges following his extradition last year, in a case that prosecutors said shows how the Honduran government had been closely involved in the drug trade.

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."

The container HLBU 918977 5 was verified, which, according to the manifest, transported 493 kilograms of alleged fentanyl, accounting for 122 boxes with 4,680 packages containing a total of 48,600 vials of alleged fentanyl."

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

In the US, fentanyl seizures in weight more than tripled in the last quarter of 2022 compared to last year. The average weight seized at the border of the potent, concentrated drug is only 2 pounds. A fifth of seizures come from pedestrians.

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.

For Hondurans, the seizure of fentanyl made on November 8, 2023, in Puerto Cortés, provides a warning of how Honduras has become an entry point for opioids. There is growing concern about the damage that could be done to Hondurans and Central Americans if fentanyl were to circulate in the region. The country has only used 115 grams for medical uses per year. This was over 4,000x that amount.

Source Reuters, Loop News