Illegal drug trade in El Salvador has included, according to some sources, trans-shipping of cocaine by the Nicaraguan Contras.
See main article: CIA and Contras cocaine trafficking in the US.
Former DEA agent Celerino Castillo alleged that during the 1980s Ilopango Airport in El Salvador was used by Nicaraguan Contras for drug smuggling flights with the knowledge and complicity of the CIA. These allegations were part of an investigation by the United States Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General.[1] Castillo also testified before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Between 1996 and 1998 the Central Intelligence Agency investigated and then published a report about its alleged involvement in cocaine sales in the US. This was prompted by the journalist Gary Webb's report in the San Jose Mercury News alleging that the CIA was behind the 1980s crack epidemic.[2]
El Salvador is one of the biggest sources for human trafficking. Most victims are females who are sold mainly for sex and children for forced labor. Trafficking offenders use fraudulent documentation to facilitate the movement of foreign victims. Salvadorans have been subjected to forced prostitution in Guatemala, Mexico, Belize, the United States, Spain, and Italy.[3]
See main article: Salvadoran gang crackdown. As of July 2024, 81,110[4] people accused of gang affiliation have been arrested. The large influx of prisoners has overwhelmed the prisons in El Salvador. Human rights groups have expressed concern that the arrests were unjustified and had little to do with gang violence. Multiple U.S. government representatives expressed concern about the violence taking place in the country and the methods used to stop it. Following a spike in murders, the El Salvador president Nayib Bukele ordered law enforcement to arrest all suspects.[5]
For years El Salvador maintained one of the highest murder rates in the world. In 2022 following the crackdown, the murder rate was reported to have decreased by 56.8%. Authorities registered 496 homicides in 2022, down from 1,147 in 2021. The government did not include deaths that involved law enforcement and gang violence. Measures taken by the El Salvadorian government, such as the arrests of over 58,000 people without trial, have drawn criticism from human rights groups. Human Rights Watch reported police were given arrest quotas, leading to arrests based on insufficient evidence. Despite the objections, public approval for the crackdowns remains high. [6] [7]