Flight To Belize City
Canada, Mexico, and Central America
Although only one suspect flight originating outside Mexico was detected in 2000, hundreds of internal flights moving drugs, primarily marijuana, from South/Central Mexico to the border overwhelmed limited law enforcement air and land assets. During 2000, the eastern Pacific coast of Mexico continued to be the favored route for maritime trafficking because of the vast area and a lack of natural choke points. In addition, there was a resumption of non-commercial vessel movement to Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula through the Western Caribbean. Maritime trafficking can involve single or multiple vessels, go-fast boats, fishing vessels and commercial carriers. Traffickers continued to use air shipments, although they appeared to be less frequent than maritime deliveries, as well as the overland route via Mexico’s southern border from Guatemala and Belize. ... [Read More]
Canada, Mexico, and Central America
Canada has a relatively low crime rate compared with most countries in the Western Hemisphere, but organized crime and drug trafficking are becoming more serious problems. Toronto, Canada's largest city, has experienced growing problems with organized criminals from Asia and Russia. Asian ethnic groups, particularly gangs from China, dominate the heroin trade, alien smuggling, and credit card fraud, much of which is aimed at the United States. Vancouver, which also has significant Asian gang activity, now suffers from epidemic drug abuse with nearly one death per day from heroin overdoses. There have also been reports that outlaw motorcycle gang activities are on the rise nationwide, including methamphetamine trafficking. ... [Read More]
International Narcotics Control Strategy Reports
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL STRATEGY REPORTMARCH 1995BUREAU FOR INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT AFFAIRSCANADA, MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA 117Belize 119Canada 123Costa Rica 126El Salvador 130Guatemala 133Honduras 137Mexico 140Nicaragua 148Panama 151BELIZEI. SummaryBelize's uncontrolled coast and large interior give it the potential to be a significant transshipment point for cocaine moving from South America to the United States. It is a limited producer of marijuana. The Belizean police and the Belize Defense Force (BDF) cooperate with ... [Read More]
F) Canada, Mexico, and Central America
Mexico remains a major supplier of heroin, methamphetamine, and marijuana, and the transit point for more than one half of the cocaine sold in the U.S. Cocaine and other drugs are smuggled by every conceivable commercial and non-commercial conveyance: air and containerized maritime cargo; fishing vessels; flights to clandestine landing points; human couriers, (including undocumented migrants and children), and airdrops to go-fast boats off the Mexican coasts. While the Pacific coast of Mexico continued to be the favored route for maritime trafficking because of its lack of natural choke points, the events of September 11 caused the relocation of U.S. interdiction assets, leaving the area more open for drug smugglers. Other routes were favored as well, as an increase in non-commercial vessel movement to Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula through the western Caribbean, especially in the use of go-fast vessels was seen in 2001. With regard to air transport, although there were only three confirme ... [Read More]
Canada, Mexico, and Central America
Interdiction. Mexico's interdiction efforts focused on maritime and air drug movement on both coasts as traffickers responded with smaller load sizes. According to GOM reports, maritime interdiction—primarily in international waters—resulted in a number of important cocaine seizures. While most of the maritime seizures occurred along the west coast of Mexico, there were significant seizures in the Gulf of Mexico as well. Detection and monitoring assets continued to identify suspicious aircraft flying along the United States-Mexico border and near the Mexico-Guatemala and Mexico-Belize borders. Suspicious flights detected in northwestern Mexico generally involved internal, short-duration flights originating in Mexico, with the overwhelming majority of seizures involving marijuana. Suspicious flights in southeastern Mexico generally involved cocaine flights from South America, with a noticeable surge in mid-2003. ... [Read More]
F) Canada, Mexico, and Central America
The National Air Section (SAN) continued to provide excellent support for counternarcotics operations despite limited air assets and management problems. The SAN continued to respond rapidly to U.S. law enforcement requests to over-fly and photograph suspect areas and to identify suspect aircraft in flight or on the ground. The SAN provides logistical support in the transfer of detainees and drug evidence through Panama to U.S. jurisdiction. The SAN and PNP continued to cooperate in the surveillance of areas of potential coca and cannabis growth. During 2002, the SAN launched several reconnaissance flights to support SMN counternarcotics interdiction efforts. Both the SMN and SAN responded to reports of air drops of cocaine from general aviation aircraft to the Caribbean and Pacific coasts of Panama, several times resulting in small to multi-hundred kilogram seizures. ... [Read More]
Tips for Travelers to Central & South America
Revised October 1996 The information in this publication is in the public domain and may be reproduced without permission. When this material is reproduced, the Department of State would appreciate receiving a copy at: CA/P/PA, Room 6831, Department of State, Washington, D.C. 20520. CURRENT TRAVEL INFORMATIONThe Department of State's Consular Information Sheets are available for every country of the world. They describe topics such as unusual ... [Read More]
Canada, Mexico, and Central America
In August, a PGR-SEDENA operation outside Mexico City resulted in the arrest of Ramiro "El Mati" Hernandez Garcia, "El Mati," who had allegedly served as the Gulf Cartel’s liaison with Colombian suppliers, along with 13 of his associates. This operation resulted in the discovery and destruction of a cocaine-processing laboratory in an upper-class neighborhood in Mexico City and the seizure of 154 kilograms of cocaine, along with several weapons, vehicles, and properties. ... [Read More]
US Department Of State Post Report
Although Belize City now has a modern water treatment plant, and sanitation has improved greatly in recent years, things are still well below U.S. standards. All Embassy houses have water distillers. About 90% of urban households are connected to the citywide sewage system, but sewage still runs in some open canals which empty into the sea. Some Embassy-leased housing have septic tanks. Although there is regular removal of city garbage, it is common to see it strewn about. ... [Read More]
Belize
REGISTRATION / EMBASSY LOCATION: Americans living or traveling in Belize are encouraged to register with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate through the State Department’s travel registration website, https://travelregistration.state.gov, and to obtain updated information on travel and security within Belize. Americans without Internet access may register directly with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. By registering, American citizens make it easier for the Embassy or Consulate to contact them in case of emergency. The U.S. Embassy is located at the intersection of Gabourel Lane and Hutson Street in Belize City; telephone 011 (501) 227-7161/62/63, fax 011 (501) 223-5423. The Embassy is open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except for the 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m. lunch hour, a ... [Read More]
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