America’s ‘Drug War’ Crimes in Honduras

In the name of the war on drugs, the U.S. has murdered a number of civilians, including two pregnant women and two children in Honduras. Dan Kovalik at Huffington Post:

According to the Honduran newspaper, Tiempo, as well as the Honduran human rights group, COFADEH, the agents of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), dressed in military uniforms, killed at least four and possibly six civilians in a raid which took place on Friday, May 11. The victims included two pregnant women and two children. The newspaper Tiempo did not pull any punches, writing that those killed “were humble and honest citizens.” Apparently, the DEA agents fired from helicopter gunships upon a boat carrying civilians on the Patuca back to their community of Ahuas which itself is located in the Mosquito coast of Honduras. According to Tiempo, the DEA mistakenly fired upon the civilian boat because it was well-lit while the intended target — a boat carrying drug traffickers — was floating down the river without its lights on.

Last week I wrote about how over 600 U.S. soldiers are stationed in Honduras in a bid to “promote stability,” which in Washington-speak means wreak havoc. The Obama administration chose to support the illegal military coup in Honduras in 2009, which ousted democratically elected Jose Manuel Zelaya. The coup leaders continued to receive U.S. aid as American military and DEA presence in the country began to expand. This began a descent into what Dana Frank, professor of history at the University of California, called “a human rights and security abyss.” Hundreds of people, including the political opponents of the state and dozens of journalists, have been killed by U.S.-supported and trained security forces and overall drug war efforts there have led the country to attain the prestigious title of the highest homicide rate in the world, rivaling the war zone in Afghanistan.

COFADEH, the Committee of the Families of the Disappeared of Honduras, had this to say about U.S. policy in Honduras and Latin America generally:

… a foreign army [i.e., the U.S. army] protected under the new hegemonic concept of the “war on drugs,” legalized with reforms to the 1953 Military Treaty, violates our territorial sovereignty and kills civilians as if it was in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya or Syria.

Two pregnant women, two children and two adult males were killed by shots fired from helicopter gunships piloted by U.S. soldiers on a boat on River Patuca returning to their community. They were workers in the local lobster and shellfish diving industry.

… [T]he “failed state” of Honduras gave way to the foreign military occupation under the script of the “war against the drug cartels,” similar to what has happened in the past eight years in Mexico, Colombia and Guatemala.

In Mexico, just to recap, the U.S. has supported efforts by the Calderon government to militarize the approach to the drug war, leading to heightened violence and almost 50,000 mostly civilian deaths in a matter of years. In Colombia, the U.S. has supported paramilitaries who regularly commit massacres, leading to untold numbers of dead since the start of ‘Plan Colombia,’ and a corrupt government that has rolled back the rights of its citizens. In Guatemala, U.S. support and training for the Guatemalan military Kaibiles continues despite the militia’s ties to atrocities and drug cartels, and the history of U.S. intervention in Guatemala during the Reagan years is far worse than anything going on now.

5 thoughts on “America’s ‘Drug War’ Crimes in Honduras”

  1. Dear God,
    When will this madness stop?
    Yours in Liberty & The Prince of Peace,
    Mark

  2. The Obama administration chose to support the illegal military coup in Honduras in 2009, which ousted democratically elected Jose Manuel Zelaya.

    I have no doubt that in the future we will learn that the US government was directly behind the military coup.

  3. It's that time of the year when we celebrate life, look back at past mistake and resolve to make the future better. I wish you all late Merry xmas and a very prosperous new year.

  4. If some random buffoon in a uniform from some foreign country shot dead my kid and pregnant wife and that country didn't even recognize or offer an apology, I would…

  5. “Suppose you are a corrupt, scum-sucking, prohibitionist parasite. And suppose you are a member of Congress. But I repeat myself….”
    – What Mark Twain would have said.

  6. According to the US Constitution, we have military for DEFENSE, and have no right to be running around the world doing ANYTHING to disrupt their lives, governments, or anything else. Main excuse used is 9/11-but these guys were from our ally, Saudi Arabia. Amazing that we didn't attack Saudi Arabia, huh?
    "Follow the money."

  7. Prohibition isn't like a disease where we're still waiting for the cure to be discovered – we already know the cure. This isn't like putting a man on the moon or inventing the Internet; it doesn't take some stroke of genius or feat of technology. We have everything we need right now to end this moronothon. — Rarely in the history of mankind have we encountered a problem of such magnitude and consequence that is so eminently solvable.

    Ending prohibition will see the largest share of criminal profits go up in smoke. These are the very profits that enable them to establish sophisticated networks, buy military hardware and airplanes, build submarines and tunnels, recruit thousands of foot soldiers, or bribe and threaten government officials. Those very same vast profits are also what makes all the murderous violence these entities employ worth all their trouble.

  8. Re: Alberto Castillo Hyde, Pro-Bono Diplomat, President of Fundacion Vamos Panama, & thief of  $1.5 Million Dollars. Mr. Hyde was appointed a diplomat by President Lobo, a sitting president. Mr. Hyde is a neighbor of President Martinelli of Panama. Is mr. Hyde being protected? Is there a major cover up in progress?
    USA Representative of Fundacion Vamos Panama was Herbert E. Caswell, S & H Investment Firm  of Jacksonville Florida. Mr. Caswell is attempting to distant himself from the blatant crime.

     July 26, 2012

     Dear President Lobo:

     I write to you today with high expectations that you will receive my concerns, evidence, and position,  in a positive and productive manner.  My company was the victim of a $1.5 Million theft by Ex-Pro Bono diplomat, Alberto Castillo Hyde, not the $450,000 and $300,000 repeatedly reported in the Latino media.  One needs to only (Google) Alberto Castillo Hyde for a complete description  of his fraud since June, 2011.  I write to you because it is the responsibility of your high office to appoint responsible diplomats of high moral character, obviously,  in the case of Alberto Castillo Hyde, that was not accomplished.

     On April 18  2012,  I met with the legal department at the Honduras Embassy in Washington D.C.  The purpose of my visit was two fold.

     Firstly, to enlighten your embassy on a matter that evolved around  Ex-Pro Bono  diplomat Alberto  Castillo Hyde. All of the many reports in the media, indicated questionable &  ludicrous explanations of the truth, concerning the origin and intent of Alberto Castillo Hyde, and the two incidents attempting to smuggle $300,000 undeclared into Benito Juarez airport in Mexico City on January 17, 2011.  During the month of June 2011,  he was arrested again at the Tocumen airport  in Panama city for carrying $450,000 cash undeclared in a suitcase.  Each time the Ex diplomat was arrested and released.  I produced several evidential documents with your embassy's legal department, which they retained during my April 18th meeting.  It is on record that Law enforcement authorities in Panama, Mexico, and Honduras, as well as the media, professed their desire to investigate and receive tips, accurate facts,  and assistance concerning the obvious "Maletinazo".  I stand ready, willing, and able to produce 100% indisputable evidence to support my allegations of the entire criminal matter.

     Secondly, I seek your government's assistance, in the return of the $1.5 Million dollars stolen from my company by Ex-Pro Bono diplomat Alberto Castillo Hyde. I respectfully direct this communication to your attention, in the spirit of justice, and the expectation of the rule of law prevailing. In addition, your government should seize the opportunity to display to your people and the world, that your administration  intends to restore honest democratic principals and unhindered justice, regardless of possible consequences and embarrassment. You must admit, his unbelievable explanations concerning the origin of the stolen funds, as well as the stated donation to Honduras, as well as his other creative  explanations that belong in a Disney cartoon.

     My Dear Mr. President, I was unable to convince your embassy in Washington D.C.,  to take suitable steps that would solve the so called Alberto Castillo Hyde  mystery. Likewise, the Panamanian, and Mexican embassies also decided to distance themselves from the egregious & brazen theft by the Ex Pro Bono Honduran diplomat, that also violated serious laws in Panama and Mexico.

     The fact that Alberto Castillo Hyde has not been brought to justice  in over one year, since the two incidents were exposed in the media, when he was arrested and released twice, presents serious questions that must be addressed:

     A).  Did the Honduran Government engage in a in-depth investigation of the origin of Mr. Hyde’s bogus claims in his affidavit?  Was the Panamanian & Mexican authorities contacted as part of an investigation?   No need to contact Interpol, I already  reported crime to them.

     B).  Did the Honduran government receive the gift of $450,000 for social programs as claimed by Mr. Hyde?

     C). Was Mr. Hyde treated in the same manner as any other suspect, attempting to smuggle large sums of cash through customs, on two separate occasions?

     D). Did Mr. Hyde share his loot with any officials or law enforcement,  in order to receive preferential treatment and stay out of prison?

     E).  Does you administration intend to ignore my allegations,  and my offer of providing full proof of my allegations against Mr. Hyde?

    F).  Was/is Alberto Castillo Hyde engaged in money laundering & drugs?

     Thanking you in advance for your anticipated intervention.  I am standing by for your response & you can be certain, I will not go away anytime soon,  or in the future for that matter, until justice is served.  Mr. President, you should always keep in mind, " The Pen Is Mightier Than The Sword".

        Sincerely,

       Robert Shulman

      Managing Partner

      Sentenial Investment Group, Llc
      sentinelgroup.rs@gmail.com

  9. … a foreign army [i.e., the U.S. army] protected under the new hegemonic concept of the “war on drugs,” legalized with reforms to the 1953 Military Treaty, violates our territorial sovereignty and kills civilians as if it was in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya or Syria.wedding party bus

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