GUATEMALA CITY – Guatemalan security forces intercepted a large shipment of marijuana this week at the Santo Tomás de Castilla commercial port in Puerto Barrios, located in the Atlantic coastal province of Izabal. Authorities confirmed that the cargo, weighing approximately 900 pounds, was concealed in 30 cardboard boxes falsely labeled as electronic spare parts and was reportedly destined for the Dominican Republic.
The discovery was made during a routine inspection by customs officials and the National Civil Police (PNC), who utilized scanning technology to detect the illicit contents. The seized marijuana has an estimated street value of US$390,000, or around three million quetzales. Each box was found to contain roughly 30 pounds of the drug.
Tuesday’s seizure underscores a growing trend in drug trafficking between Central America and the Caribbean. It also comes on the heels of a major drug bust in the Dominican Republic on May 1, when authorities confiscated more than 6,700 pounds of marijuana—traced back to Guatemala—in what was the largest marijuana seizure in the nation’s history.
The Guatemalan government has not released details regarding arrests or suspects involved in the latest case, but investigations are ongoing.
