Central America
Structure of 49 Mao Mao members face trial for cocaine trafficking and money laundering
August 8|
The Fifth Sentencing Court against Organized Crime in San Salvador is trying a structure of 45 Mao Mao gang members who committed crimes in Prados de Venecia, Soyapango and San Antonio Abad, in San Salvador.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic accuses them of firearms trafficking, possession and possession of drugs, possession, illegal and irresponsible carrying of firearms, proposition and conspiracy of aggravated homicide, illicit groups and a case of money laundering.
In the public hearing, the Public Prosecutor’s Office pointed out that the crimes were committed between 2020 and 2021, according to the investigations carried out by police agents from different units under the prosecutor’s direction.
The prosecutors have already presented the documentary and expert evidence, for next Thursday several police agents who led the investigations are scheduled to start testifying and their testimonies will serve to illustrate to the court the way in which the structure operated in the two municipalities.
The prosecutor’s office also has wiretaps in which the Telecommunications Intervention Center captured conversations of the members of the structure planning the range of crimes attributed to them.
“This Mao Mao structure is characterized by having drug trafficking as one of the most common illicit activities and what they sell and distribute, manufacture; is cocaine, so much so that when practicing, about $6,000 that were seized from this gang during the wiretap, all this money gave as a result that it effectively has positive particles to cocaine,” said one of the prosecutors of the case.
Central America
Panama confirms drug contamination of El Salvador coffee shipment occurred on its territory
A container originating from El Salvador and carrying coffee for export was contaminated with more than 1,152 packages of drugs while in transit through Panama, according to official information confirmed by the Panamanian government this Tuesday.
The case, which had previously generated political controversy in April 2025 after opposition sectors attempted to link the Salvadoran government to drug trafficking, has now been clarified through renewed investigations.
Authorities confirmed that the container departed from the port of Acajutla after being properly inspected, with no illicit substances detected at the time of export.
According to statements previously provided by El Salvador’s Minister of Defense, René Merino Monroy, the shipment traveled first to the port of Balboa in Panama, where it remained stored for several days before being transferred to another vessel bound for Manzanillo in Colón.
It was at that terminal that Panamanian authorities discovered the drugs and identified tampering with the container seals, indicating that the illicit alteration occurred during its transit in Panama rather than in Salvadoran territory.
The findings align with earlier explanations provided by Salvadoran officials and confirm that the contamination of the cargo took place outside of El Salvador’s jurisdiction.
Central America
Uber Eats adds Puntarenas and Turrialba to growing Costa Rica network
Uber Eats announced that it is continuing to expand its presence in Costa Rica with the launch of operations in the cities of Puntarenas and Turrialba, further strengthening the company’s growth in the country.
With this expansion, the delivery platform is now available across all seven Costa Rican provinces and works with more than 6,000 partner businesses. Its offerings include prepared food, supermarkets, pharmacies, pet stores, and other specialty retailers.
As part of the announcement, Uber Eats also introduced Marco Nannipieri as its new Regional General Manager for the Andean Region, Central America, and the Caribbean.
Nannipieri will oversee the company’s operations in Costa Rica along with seven other countries in the region.
“Costa Rica is a key market for Uber Eats in the region, with growing adoption of technology among users and businesses. Over the past five years, more than 1,000 restaurants and merchants have joined the app, and today we are entering a new stage of expansion that will allow us to reach more cities outside the Greater Metropolitan Area, creating new opportunities for entrepreneurs across the country,” Nannipieri said.
Central America
Report questions direction of Nasry Asfura after 100 days in office
The Center for the Study of Democracy warned Tuesday that the government of Nasry Asfura, which marks its first 100 days in office on Wednesday, has failed to show a “significant change in direction” and continues to follow a model characterized by exclusion, inequality, and external dependence.
In its report titled “100 Days of the Nasry Asfura Government: Concerns and Demands,” Cespad stated that the administration has maintained an economic and political model that prioritizes debt payments, the promotion of extractive projects, and the strengthening of the security apparatus over social investment.
The organization argued that the current policies have not addressed structural problems affecting large sectors of the Honduran population and warned that inequality and economic dependence remain key challenges for the country.
Nasry Asfura won the general elections held on November 30, 2025, in a process marked by allegations of fraud and delays in the vote count that lasted nearly a month due to a series of technological failures.
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