Drug Violence Spread Demands Central America Plan

Fabiola Moura
Bloomberg News
September 24, 2010

Mexico’s drug-fueled violence is flooding across Central America as cartels deepen roots in a region that needs more aid from the U.S. to counter organized crime, the presidents of Panama and Costa Rica said.

Costa Rica’s reputation as a peaceful haven in Latin America is at risk even as the country weighs boosting security spending by $360 million over four years to confront drug gangs, President Laura Chinchilla said in an interview. Central American nations need a coordinated regional response backed by greater U.S. support to fight traffickers, Panama President Ricardo Martinelli said...

...The world drug market totals $400 billion per year, Dominican Republic President Leonel Fernandez said today in a speech in the Council of the Americas. “It is the main threat to security in Latin America and in the world in the 21st century,” he said.

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