In a crackdown on cocaine gangs and drug traffickers, authorities in El Salvador set to fire a 2.7-tonne pile of cocaine worth an estimated $67.5 million (Rs 5,59,54,27,950). The local police released images and video of the huge pile of drugs being burned in the town of Ilopango this week. The consignment was seized from “seven men in boats”, roughly 1,630 kilometres off the country’s coast on May 10.
Two Ecuadorian nationals, two Colombian nationals and three Mexican nationals were held as the 2.7 tonne of cocaine was confiscated.
It has not been reported exactly what charges or punishments the seven suspects are facing.
El Salvador is the smallest and most densely populated country in Central America. It borders Guatemala to the northwest, Honduras to the northeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the south. Its capital is San Salvador.
Since President Nayib Bukele assumed office in 2019, El Salvador's government has aggressively targeted gangs and drug traffickers. Bukele, who was reelected with 85% of the vote, started his second term on June 1. In March 2022, his administration declared a state of emergency, leading to the arrest of tens of thousands of suspected gang members.
