The Latin American Report # 221
In Mexico, people criticize support for deported migrants
Following the Aztec president's revelation that his government plans to support deported migrants, nationals from the southern border state of Chiapas are denouncing their own poverty. The president of a local civil society organization has recently said that this is not an anti-immigrant position, but that the demands of Mexican citizens should be given due priority. In any case, he also stated that the migrants themselves "are rejecting" the program, because their interest is not to park in Mexico, but to continue on their way to the United States. "There are many children who lack the 'Benito Juárez' scholarships [promoted by AMLO] and who are in extreme poverty. [Both] the federal and state governments have not been able to work on that issue, and so [the parents say they can't send their children to school], because they do not have a pair of pants, shoes, a shirt or to eat," expressed the activist.
Migrants in Chiapas (source).López Obrador's program could transfer monetary resources in the order of $110 per month to migrants from Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador who agree to be returned to their countries, providing them with certain technical-professional skills in the meantime. "I ask you please, (President López Obrador), worry about the chiapanecos (inhabitants of the state of Chiapas), about the Mexicans, about the municipalities where you say that everyone has their scholarship, it is a lie," denounced another social leader. This conflict is very similar to the one that has been uncovered in Ecuador after Nayib Bukele's initiative to receive some 5,000 highly qualified foreign professionals in strategic branches, when many complained about the lack of opportunities for the country's own professionals. In the end, both cases are part of a much larger discussion, which has to do with what are the priorities in each country—or region—, what the hierarchy assumed to invest in them, and how involved the people affected or interested in the decision-making process.
Drug Trafficking Observatory
Security forces in Lebanon announced last Saturday the seizure on an unspecified date of 25 kilograms of cocaine in the port of the capital, found in a shipment of bananas coming from Ecuador. The General Directorate of Internal Security Forces reported that "exhaustive monitoring" of an international smuggling network contributed to identifying the illegal cargo "professionally hidden in the metal structure of [a] container" upon its arrival at the port. The information does not account for any level of collaboration with Ecuadorian authorities. In another development that reminded me of the extraordinary series Gomorrah, last week the Italian government dismantled a network that trafficked drugs from Colombia, the Dominican Republic, and Panama, both by sea—using the port of Genoa, where, history, the "discoverer" of America was born—and by air—stopping at the airports of Amsterdam and Paris. The inability of the competent Latin American authorities to stop these shipments in the region is a clear demonstration of the long way to go in the fight against this scourge.
Drug seized in Beirut from Ecuador (source).Anyway, Ecuadorian police confirmed the seizure of nearly 2 tons of cocaine in the troubled coastal province of Manabi, which in the last days of March collapsed in terms of security. The drugs were found buried in three cavities "covered with banana leaves and other types of weeds". Hours earlier, the Ecuadorian Navy had reported the seizure of close to a ton of drugs. Meanwhile, in Venezuela, the Bolivarian National Police also intercepted on Sunday more than half a ton of marijuana in the state of Apure, bordering Colombia. And I was left behind in March with the news of the extraordinary seizure of more than 7 tons of cocaine in Bolivia, specifically in the Andean region of Oruro, bordering Chile, another country increasingly involved in drug trafficking networks. The drugs were seized at the border customs office in Pisiga, and were found attached to iron structures that were to be exported to Belgium. In just two major raids so far in 2024, Bolivian authorities have already seized almost half of all the cocaine reported in the past year. Finally, also in March, a raid coordinated by the Panamanian Public Prosecutor's Office found more than half a ton of cocaine in Panama's Caribbean port, originating in Honduras and destined for Sweden. Europe, of course, bears a critical responsibility for the cancer of drug trafficking in the region.
Corruption Observatory
At the beginning of the week came to light the dismissal of the Minister of Environment of Guatemala, who assigned official vehicles and security "elements" to the personal activities of her daughter, who allegedly has been a recent victim of threats. This is a very bad sign for President Bernardo Arévalo, although the measure seeks to "avoid any doubt about the commitment of his Administration and the zero tolerance to the misuse of State resources and corruption". It does not bode well that he is surrounded by people who in such a short time—since he arrived in Zone 1 less than three months ago—have been singled out as carriers of the very virus he has claimed to be fighting. "I want to demonstrate to the people of Guatemala that our government is different. We will not tolerate practices that may be at odds with the due behavior of any public servant," said Arévalo, who also has a very difficult commitment to fulfill in security matters. This Tuesday it was reported that two gang leaders who had been in prison since 2022 were found dead "wrapped in multicolored sheets [and] with signs of violence".
On the other hand, in Venezuela, the former high-ranking Chavista official Tareck El Aissami was arrested on Tuesday "for his alleged link to a millionaire corruption scheme of selling crude oil through crypto-assets". This plot was uncovered just over 1 year ago, but El Aissami had simply resigned to "facilitate" the investigations, and had not been heard from again. A former economy minister was also arrested, who along with El Aissami and another detainee—wanted by Washington—are being held accountable for the commission of the very serious crimes of treason, appropriation or diversion of public assets, and money laundering. Attorney General Tarek William Saab said that the process will end "with an exemplary sanction". In principle, among other actions, the defendants carried out "sales [of crude oil and mining products] below market value, arbitrary and criminal handling of funds obtained from product sales, collection of commissions throughout the commercialization process, as well as requesting bribes to guarantee access to contracts." The appeal to cryptocurrencies was an alternative of the Venezuelan government to evade Western sanctions, but it seems that those involved in the scheme went [too] far out of orbit. What is still not understandable to me is how they were able to siphon off an estimated 20 billion dollars without alarm bells going off earlier by the competent authorities.
El Aissami arrested (source).And this is all for our report today. I have referenced the sources dynamically in the text, and remember you can learn how and where to follow the LATAM trail news by reading my work here. Have a nice day.
