El Salvador Real Estate

U.S. citizens contemplating investment in real estate in Honduras should proceed with extreme caution, especially in the Bay Islands or coastal areas, because of frequently conflicting legislation, problems with land titles, and a weak judicial system. Investors or their attorneys should check property titles not only with the property registry office having jurisdiction in the area in which the property is located (being especially observant of marginal annotations on the deed and that the property is located within the area covered by the original title), but also with the National Agrarian Institute (INA) and the National Forestry Administration (COHDEFOR). Investors in land should be aware that even clear title is not a guarantee that a future dispute over land would be resolved equitably. ... [Read More]

U.S. Embassy in Nicaragua - Economic and Commercial Section

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Department of State Washington File: Text: U.S. Drug Agency Breaks International Money, Drug Ring

Los Angeles: Salvador Mendoza, a resident of Los Angeles, California, was identified and targeted for allegedly distributing one hundred and fifty kilograms of cocaine, five thousand pounds of marijuana and ten pounds of crystallized methamphetamine (Ice) per month. Mendoza allegedly used an El Paso, Texas transportation cell run by Humberto Diaz. Mendoza had dozens of domestic and foreign bank accounts that allowed this organization to mask the funds utilized to further their drug trafficking activities. Salvador Mendoza allegedly laundered drug proceeds through real estate transactions and a used car business. ... [Read More]

E) South America

The Prosecutors’ Drug Task Force (PDTF), begun in October 2001 with USG support, developed a professional investigative and operational capability in 2002. Composed of vetted personnel from three GOV agencies (the Public Ministry, the Federal Judicial Police, and the National Guard), this task force of three dozen prosecutors and investigators seized almost 13 metric tons of drugs (3.5 MT of cocaine, 93 KG of heroin, and 9.3 MT of cannabis), conducted follow-up investigations resulting in the arrest of more than 80 traffickers (including one kingpin), and seized numerous watercraft, real estate, and cash. Additionally, the PDTF’s intelligence and investigations supported international operations that resulted in the indictment and arrest of an additional 17 traffickers and the seizure of several additional tons of drugs. ... [Read More]

James Houston, "A Valley in California" , eJournal USA: Society & Values, December 2004

During the l950s, '60s and '70s, buyers like my father kept coming, from other parts of California, from other parts of the United States, from other parts of the world, looking for a piece of the Golden West. The valley was only an hour from San Francisco. The climate that had so appealed to ranchers and growers appealed to these newcomers, too. California's population was expanding at the rate of 1,000 people per day (a rate that has now increased to 1,500 per day, every day of every week of every year), and the valley's numbers swelled along with the rest of the state, systematically gobbling up some of the most fertile and productive soil on Earth. The worth of croplands simply could not compete with the escalating value of real estate. ... [Read More]

Canada, Mexico, and Central America

Canada I. Summary The Government of Canada had an active and productive year in counternarcotics in 2004. The national "Canadian Addiction Survey" that was made public in November indicated that substance abuse among Canadians has significantly increased over the past decade, especially among youth. While alcohol and cannabis remained the most commonly abused substances, there were worrisome trends in abuse of other illicit substances. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) estimates that the overall drug trade in Canada generates criminal proceeds in excess of $3 billion at the wholesale level and $13.5 billion at the street level. Marijuana production is a thriving industry in Canada with production estimated by the RCMP at somewhere between 960 and 2400 metric tons. This is a particular concern of the USG because of in ... [Read More]

US Department Of State Post Report

Rental contracts are required by all lessors and normally run for 1 year with renewal rights. Sample contracts are available from the General Services Office (GSO). Employees are advised to incorporate the “diplomatic clause” (30-day transfer notice) in their leases: this clause is accepted by most lessors.  Contract fees and real estate agent’s commissions are generally absorbed by the lessor; however, any question should be settled before signing the contract.  Housing must be measured by the GSO, and surveyed and approved by the RSO before a lease can be signed. FurnishingsLast Updated:  6/8/2004 1:40 PM  ... [Read More]

Canada, Mexico, and Central America

Canadian authorities seized large caches of cannabis and hashish, e.g., approximately ten tons of hashish were seized in January 2000 from a container arriving in Montreal from Dubai. Another ten tons of hashish bound for Montreal was seized in Newark by the DEA. Both shipments were organized by Canadian based trafficking organizations. In July, 1,000 kilograms of hashish and 22 kilograms of hash oil were seized at a home in Blainville, Quebec. In Montreal, another 200 kilograms of hashish were discovered in a container arriving from the Netherlands and 171 kilograms were found in Ontario. Canadian authorities seized numerous MDMA (ecstasy) shipments arriving from such destinations as the Netherlands and Bulgaria, and closed several laboratories, including a residential lab in Ontario with an estimated production capacity of 400,000 dosage units. ... [Read More]

U.S. Embassy in Nicaragua - Economic and Commercial Section

OPENNESS TO FOREIGN INVESTMENT 1111President Enrique Bolanos, who took office in January 2002, has made a high priority of attracting new foreign investment to Nicaragua and building a more supportive environment for existing investment. Government actions in the past year have included successful performance under an IMF program that required a significant reduction in the budget deficit and provided new resources and debt relief; creation of the investment promotion agency ProNicaragua in August 2002; work toward opening a pilot "one-stop shop" for foreign investors in the Ministry of Development, Industry, and Trade (MIFIC); and steps toward completion of the privatization of the previously state-owned telephone company. However, other factors continue to discourage investment, including inadequate infrastructure and a judicial system that is subject to political pressures. 1111Nicaragua's Foreign Investment La ... [Read More]

U.S. Embassy in Nicaragua - Economic and Commercial Section

Industrial Property Law, Commercial Law, Banking Law, International Law/Foreign Investment, Privatization, Real Estate, Labor Law, Environmental Law, Commercial Litigation ...

10. NICARAGUAN REAL ESTATE FIRMS ...

Banking and Securities Law, General Corp., Commercial Law, Leasing & Project Finance, Foreign Investment, Mergers & Acquisitions, Private & Administrative Law, Telecommunications, Mining/Oil/Gas, Environmental, Intellectual Property and Technology Law, Labor Law, Litigation and Arbitration/Bankruptcy/Product Liability, Pharmaceutical, General Insurance, Aviation & Shipping Law, Taxation and Customs Law, Real Estate Law ... [Read More]