Guatemala: Combating Smuggling Is ImperativeThursday, November 28, 2013 Employers indicate that smuggling is unfair competition for industry and commerce, and a source of funding for organized crime. From an opinion piece by CACIF: Panama: Companies Report ExtortionsWednesday, April 27, 2016 The guild of merchants in Chiriqui has denounced the growing amounts of extortion by organized crime organizations, mainly affecting small businesses in the province. The Chamber of Commerce of Chiriqui stated that "... among the criminal activities of most concern to informal businesses are links to illicit financing with cash flows in clandestine opportunities, drug dealing, illegal circulation of money and making links with gangs. " "Organized Crime Infiltrates Institutions in Panama"Friday, January 31, 2014 The state prosecutor has signalled the penetration of drug trafficking organizations in the Panamanian economy and in political institutions. According to the prosecutor, Ana Belfon, during her first year of work she has perceived an increased penetration of organized crime into the economy and institutions of the Panamanian government. Condemning Political and Corporate CorruptionWednesday, October 7, 2009 An ex President, high ranking public officers and distinguished businessmen are sentenced for corruption and peculation in Costa Rica. When justifying the sentence, the judges told of how a group of powerful politicians from a prominent party conformed a criminal gang which developed an entire operation using assets of the State, among them Legislative Assembly and Social Security, to make money with illegal commissions paid by foreign and domestic dishonest businessmen. Request to Recover Territory ControlFriday, September 6, 2019 After three soldiers were killed in Izabal, Guatemalan business sector asks the government to regain control of the territories where criminal groups dominate. On several occasions, business chambers have denounced that organized crime groups operate in the area from the Polochic Valley to Izabal, thus affecting productive activity in the area. Travel Alert Over Violence in HondurasTuesday, March 3, 2015 The US Government has renewed its travel alert warning stating that the levels of violence and crime remain "critically high, but have declined in the past two years." The Department of State continues to warn U.S. citizens that the level of crime and violence in Honduras remains critically high, although it has declined in the past two years. This Travel Warning supersedes the Travel Warning dated June 2014 and includes additional information on crime and security in Honduras, as well as updated contact information. Money Laundering in Central AmericaFriday, March 3, 2017 The housing market, casinos, concert halls, and the livestock sector are all used to launder money in Central American countries. Excerpted from the report "International Narcotics Control Strategy Report, Volume II, Money Laundering and Financial Crimes" by the US State Department: |
|