Six Foreigners Sentenced in El Salvador for Drug Trafficking

A court in El Salvador sentenced six foreigners, including two Mexican drug traffickers, to 12 years in prison on Thursday, April 9. The group was prosecuted by Salvadoran authorities for transporting a shipment of 1.3 tons of cocaine valued at $32 million, the Judicial Center reported that same day. The criminals were intercepted and captured on May 18, 2024, 880 nautical miles south of the El Cordoncillo inlet in the Estero Jaltepeque, aboard two vessels. According to statements from Defense Minister René Francis Merino, most of the drugs were located by the Salvadoran Navy in the Pacific Ocean. Salvadoran security authorities stated that a total of 73.8 tons of drugs have been seized in El Salvador during President Nayib Bukele's administration, with an economic value of $1,736.5 million. Nayib Bukele has become one of the staunchest allies in Donald Trump's campaign against drug cartels in Latin America. He was also among the leaders who attended the launch of the 'Shield of the Americas' initiative in Miami. The U.S. special envoy for the project is Kristi Noem, whom Trump 'thanked' as Secretary of Homeland Security after a series of controversies that included the deaths of U.S. citizens at the hands of ICE agents and a multi-million dollar advertising campaign.