“Consumers to the north of us, producers to the south” – Nicaragua’s struggle against drug gangs
NSCAG News |
on: Friday, 31 August 2012
Origional source: nicanet.org
On 23rd August 2012 at the XXXI Extraordinary Meeting of the Commission of Police Chiefs and Directors from Central America, the Caribbean, Mexico and Colombia in Managua, Nicaragua’s National Police Commissioner Aminta Granera said that the chiefs had agreed not to depend on international aid in their fight against drug trafficking, noting that “The security strategy of the Central American Integration System (SICA) has funds for eight prioritized projects.” She also emphasized the need for community cooperation in the effort to create safe space for families and individuals. She said that the drug violence plaguing Central America should be considered the responsibility of other countries in the world. “The situation would be very different if we did not have to the north of us the majority of consumers and to the south of us the biggest producers.” The meeting was focused on combating both social and gender violence and the delegates approved “bi-national and transnational operations” to fight gangs, vehicle theft, human trafficking and border security.
President Daniel Ortega spoke at the final session of the meeting saying that coordination between the affected countries was “the only way to defeat this scourge that is affecting the region.” He noted Nicaragua’s efforts to include citizen participation in crime prevention and added, “You have to eradicate poverty; you have to bring more culture, education, health care, sports, to the communities in order to combat the influence of the drug traffickers.” We need investment from the countries that are the market for the drug traffickers, he said, because “we are the victims of this epidemic.”
