Ecuador and Colombia: Main origins of maritime drug trafficking to Central America

In 2005, the Southern Command of the United States began monitoring air and sea traffic to determine where illicit trafficking occurs in Latin America. It has determined that Ecuador and Colombia have seen the most maritime activity and claims these countries have more ships that are likely to be carrying drugs to Central America. In the mid 2000s, activity in the Atlantic decreased, but began to rise again by the end of the decade. In 2011, this trend continued. So far in 2012, 348 maritime events were noted. The Southern Command estimates that 20% of monitored suspicious flight activity served to transport drugs to the United States. Many of these flights originated in Venezuela. Read Article