translated from Spanish: 11 Mexicans detainwith cocaine in Guatemala

A total of 11 Mexicans and one Colombian were arrested in northern Guatemala, near the border with Mexico, with 422 kilos of cocaine, after landing on a clandestine runway, security forces reported.
Police spokesman Pablo Castillo commented that the catches and seizure of the drug took place in the Estrella del Norte community, in Laguna del Tigre, a wooded and protected area in the department of Petén, bordering Mexico and Belize.
He explained that the drug was transported on a plane that landed on a clandestine runway, and the catches were made after guatemalan police and military clashes against at least 25 suspected drug traffickers.
Meanwhile, Army spokesman, Oscar Perez, commented that radars detected an illegal flight that entered Guatemalan territory, so they deployed Air Force helicopters and ground personnel to the site where the ship landed.
Perez claimed that when military units and police arrived at the scene they found at least 25 alleged drug dealers removing the drug from the aircraft, which when they noticed the military presence they attacked with firearms.
Security forces arrested 12 alleged criminals, one of them shot dead. The rest escaped, he detailed.
Of those arrested, 11 are Mexican and the remaining Colombian, he said.
In 2018, Guatemala seized 17,897 kilos of cocaine, a record that surpassed 13,659 kilos the previous year.
Central America is used by international cartels to traffic drugs and launder money, activities that affect criminal violence.
Washington estimates that 90% of the cocaine that arrives in the United States passes by airplanes, boats and submarines through Mexico and Central America.
What we do in Animal Político requires professional journalists, teamwork, dialogue with readers and something very important: independence. You can help us keep going. Be part of the team.
Subscribe to Animal Politician, receive benefits and support free journalism.#YoSoyAnimal

Original source in Spanish