Central America

A significant problem throughout the developing world, transnational crime has long been a concern in Central America in the form of the illicit narcotics trade. In an increasingly globalized economy, transnational crime has been on the rise throughout the region. The production of cocaine takes place principally in South American countries, but much of it is trafficked through Central America en route to the United States or Europe, as is the heroin manufactured in Colombia. Migrant smuggling is also huge business: About 2.7 million Latin Americans, including Central Americans, are illegally brought across the U.S. border every year, for about $7 billion in monies paid to smugglers. Another $20 billion is sent back from the United States in remittances; in Honduras, remittances from expatriates account ...