After a search of a container in the country’s northeast, Guatemalan authorities confiscated 264 packages of cocaine worth USD 3,4 million.
The Public Ministry -MP- reported that the packages were in “a hidden compartment” of a shipping container.
National Civil Police stated that the “shipment” was detected “inside the railway station” in the department of Izabal, approximately 155 miles northeast of Guatemala City.
The container was located in the municipality of Puerto Barrios in the department of Izabal, the only one in Guatemala with access to the Atlantic Ocean.
According to the Public Ministry, the procedure was carried out Sunday night with the support of the local police and without detailing the origin of the seized container.
“A K-9 (canine) agent alerted about the substance,” the Guatemalan government pointed out through its communication channels, where they explained that the packages are valued at USD 3,4 million.
In 2022, local security forces seized approximately USD 496 million in goods and drugs from drug traffickers.
Experts in the field believe that Guatemala’s geographic location is used as a bridge for moving narcotics from South America to the United States of America and that 90 percent of the drugs that reach the final destination pass through Guatemalan territory.
According to official data, Guatemala has seized 3,532 pounds of cocaine this year, a greater number than in recent years.
