Honduras reports ‘historic’ coca seizure

Honduran authorities reported on Monday the discovery of more than 1.6 million coca leaf bushes in the most important seizure of its kind ever as Honduras struggles to combat drug production.
“This is a historic seizure. We have dealt a heavy blow to these criminal drug trafficking organizations,” said Armed Forces spokesman Lieutenant Jose Coello.
Officials from the Central American country told reporters that the bushes, used to make cocaine, were discovered after a three-day operation over the weekend. They were located in 42 blocks in at least four plantations in mountainous areas in the coastal department of Colon.
The action brings total seizures so far this year to 2,625,015 bushes, up significantly from the 424,900 bushes found by local authorities in 2020 and 531,826 bushes found in 2021, according to security forces statistics.