Drug Traffickers Burning Forests Along Mexico-Guatemala Border to Land Planes Agence France-Presse
go to original June 7, 2016

Drug traffickers burning down Guatemalan forest to make clandestine landing strips for planes carrying US-bound cocaine have razed an area twice the size of Manhattan this year, officials say.

The Central American country has declared a state of emergency over the fires ravaging its forests, which have hit hardest along its northern border with Mexico and Belize prime territory for drug gangs.

The region, known as Peten, is known for the riches lying in its forests, including the Maya Biosphere Reserve and archaeological treasures such as the ancient city of Tikal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

But those dense forests are also strategically placed hideouts for cartels trafficking cocaine from South America to the United States, officials say.

"There is a strong presence of drug traffickers, who, in their daily drive to claim new territory, don't think twice of setting fire to the forest or paying poor people to do it," said Alma Polanco, director in Peten of the National Council for Protected Areas.

Of the 12,000 hectares (29,652 acres) Guatemala has lost to forest fires since January, Peten accounts for more than three-quarters.

Drug gangs burn the forest to make new landing strips for the small planes they use to transport cocaine, as well as to grow crops such as opium and marijuana, officials say.

Read the rest at NDTV

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