U.S. Navy Admiral Craig Faller, commander of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), and Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández concluded on October 19 a combined operation against narcotrafficking that began in April, the Honduran government reported.
The so-called Operation Dominion (Operación Dominio), with Honduran and U.S. authorities participating, “has dealt heavy blows to narcotrafficking and organized crime,” the Honduran government said in a statement, without specifying the number of troops who participated from both countries.
The government affirmed that the operations interrupted the flow of 69,220 kilograms of cocaine and more than 6,000 kg of marijuana into the United States, without providing further details.
During a ceremony held at a military facility in the Honduran capital, Adm. Faller stressed in his remarks that the operation “was a success” due to its combined nature.
The head of SOUTHCOM, which is responsible for U.S. military operations in the Caribbean and Central and South America, thanked Honduran authorities for their collaboration “to send a strong message to narcoterrorism,” according to a Spanish translation of his words.
“It is important that we continue with this vision of trust against narcoterrorism and all the corruption,” he added.
Hernández also praised the operation’s “success,” as well as the U.S. cooperation.
Honduras is considered a bridge for cocaine trafficking by cartels that manufacture the drug in South America and smuggle it into the U.S. market by sea and air.