Tegucigalpa.
A Colombian and six Honduransaccused of heavy drug trafficking in the Caribbean of Honduras, where they seized 1,308 kilograms of cocaine in a boat from Colombia and destined for Mexico, were sent to prison by order of a court.
The seven men were presented before the Criminal Court of First Instance with national jurisdiction at a hearing over the defendant’s statement and were ordered to “judicial detention,” the Honduras Judicial Branch and Twitter.
PHOTOS: Colombians and Hondurans who went by boat claim they do not know the origins of drugs
All are charged with the “heavy drug trafficking” crime and were arrested on Wednesday during an operation in the US Caribe of the Central American country.
Authorities seized the Kabu Payaska boat in which they transported 1,308 kilograms of cocaine, divided into at least 65 packages hidden in compartments of the ship, according to a report by the country’s armed forces.
The suspects were identified as Beddly Jaimw Rodríguez, a Colombian national, and Hondurans John Seco Lonzo, Allan Fernando Izaguirre, Ricardo Arturo Well, Jimmie Dane Johnson, Roger Quilani Hernández and José Donai Díaz.
The Hondurans and Colombian, who were transferred to Tegucigalpa yesterday with the drugs, are to remain locked up in the penal center known as La Tolva, in the municipality of Morocelí, El Paraíso department, in the east of the country.
The ship left Colombia on a date not specified by the authorities and its final destination was Mexico, according to an investigation by the National Anti-Drug Directorate (DNPA) of Honduras.
Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández said yesterday that the seizure shows his country is “hostile territory to drug trafficking.”
“The drug was seized nearby yesterday (Wednesday) Castilla port it is ready to be destroyed. Thanks to the work of brave men and women is Honduras managed to reduce drug trafficking by 84%. Evidence that we are a hostile territory to drug trafficking? Here they are! Said the president in a message on Twitter.
The seizure was part of the land, sea and air shield launched by Honduran authorities in 2014 to curb drug trafficking from South America.
The Air Shield is operated unilaterally by Honduras, while the Maritime Shield has the backing of the United States through a Coast Guard in international waters adjacent to that of the Central American nation in the Caribbean.
The earth shield was developed by agents of the National Police, the Military Police of Public Order and other institutions.