The Ministry of Defense has identified more than 70 clandestine tracks allegedly used for illicit activities, whose destruction remains pending because they still do not have judicial authorization.
The Minister of Defense, Henry Saénz, reported that the security forces have located these structures in different parts of the country during surveillance and territorial control operations; However, he explained that the process to disqualify them depends on resolutions issued by judges.
“We have located more than 70 illegal runways that we have not been able to prosecute and destroy,” said the official.
According to Saénz, the delay in the justice system has prevented faster progress in disabling these spaces, which are allegedly used by organizations linked to drug trafficking and other criminal activities.
The clandestine tracks of drug trafficking
The runways have been located mainly in Petén, the Polochic valley and the wetlands of the Pacific coast, areas that have historically been used by criminal organizations to transport drugs by air, the official said.
According to the minister, groups dedicated to drug trafficking look for flat areas to enable improvised runways and, in some cases, they have knocked down trees within the Mayan Biosphere Reserve to adapt spaces to the dimensions required by the aircraft they use.
Saénz indicated that the location of these clues has been a process developed over years and has required the combination of different sources of information.
“Sometimes you are on the ground next to the runway and cannot see it. You need an aerial view to be able to see what the runways are like,” he explained.
He pointed out that the Army has managed to identify these points through overflights, the analysis of incidents related to aircraft in national territory and the reports obtained by military patrols permanently deployed in different regions of the country.
The minister added that the authorities maintain coordination with the institutions responsible for the judicial processes and hope that in the coming months the procedures to proceed with the destruction of the runways will be expedited.
According to Saénz, surveillance capabilities have improved with the installation of radars, the incorporation of technology and greater knowledge of the terrain, which has allowed illegal landings in the country to be significantly reduced.
“From January 15, 2024 to date, only one trace landed in an adjacency area is recorded. For this reason, we could not attend to that landing due to the territorial dispute that we have with Belize,” he commented.
