| The market for small arms and light
| |
| | backwater areas makes the market a very
|
| weapons has completely overlapped the
| |
| | fluid one.What used to be a system of
|
| cocaine market. Purchases for arms are no
| |
| | limited purchases for cash - made largely
|
| longer made with cash but with cocaine,
| |
| | to individual gun smugglers by the
|
| and the same routes used to smuggle
| |
| | leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of
|
| cocaine out of South America are used to
| |
| | Colombia (FARC) and the paramilitary
|
| smuggle guns in. Actors far and wide rush
| |
| | United Auto-Defense forces of Colombia
|
| to meet the weapons demand created by
| |
| | (AUC) - has turned in to bulk purchases
|
| continued conflict in Colombia.What used
| |
| | of weapons paid for with pure cocaine.
|
| to be two separate cash-for-product
| |
| | The suppliers range from Central American
|
| markets has blended into one nearly
| |
| | street gangs and Mexican mafia to
|
| perfect market.Due to the conflict in
| |
| | Brazilian organized crime groups and
|
| Colombia, perfect elasticity of demand
| |
| | Islamic radicals in Trinidad and
|
| exists for anyone who can smuggle guns
| |
| | Tobago.Honduran police seized 218 weapons
|
| into Colombia. And the market there will
| |
| | and over 50,000 rounds of ammunition in
|
| absorb any and all weapons at the going
| |
| | April last year, uncovering a slick
|
| rate, which in this case is measured not
| |
| | guns-for-cocaine operation while adding
|
| in cash but kilos of pure cocaine for one
| |
| | evidence to the pile that puts Honduras
|
| functioning rifle.The incentive to
| |
| | at the center of Central American black
|
| smuggle guns into Colombia is doubled
| |
| | market operations. Police seized 161 M-16
|
| because the cocaine received in exchange
| |
| | assault rifles, 26 Soviet-era AK-47
|
| for guns is consistently in high demand.
| |
| | rifles, 11 US M-60 machine guns, nine
|
| Trading one product - guns - in high
| |
| | grenade launchers for attachment to the
|
| demand for another - cocaine - with even
| |
| | M-16 rifle, and five portable grenade
|
| higher demand is good business.This
| |
| | launchers, among other things. These
|
| market is inherently transnational,
| |
| | weapons were to be exchanged for one to
|
| beyond the control of any single
| |
| | two metric tons of pure cocaine.The
|
| government.While the word waits for the
| |
| | Honduran government believes that these
|
| next terrorist attack in the US or
| |
| | weapons were destined for the FARC.
|
| Western Europe, the black market for
| |
| | Police in Honduras claim that a
|
| cocaine and weapons continues to erode
| |
| | functional M-16 or AK-47 is worth around
|
| democratic institutions in Latin America,
| |
| | seven pounds of pure cocaine. Using
|
| breeding corruption, instability, and,
| |
| | information gathered from interrogations,
|
| ultimately, contempt for elected
| |
| | Honduran police conclude that cocaine
|
| officials.The ready availability of small
| |
| | that lands there is worth some US$1,350 a
|
| arms and light weapons in both South and
| |
| | pound, while a rifle is worth over
|
| Central America coupled with the lack of
| |
| | US$9,000.
|
| police presence on borders and in
| |
| |
|
