The charred hulk of a small plane apparently used for drug smuggling was found at a remote spot in the northern Guatemalan province of Peten, authorities said Friday.
The remains of the aircraft were discovered Thursday in La Laguna del Tigre, prosecutors said.
Investigators believe the plane arrived in Peten two weeks ago carrying a shipment of drugs bound for neighboring Mexico.
The aircraft touched down on a clandestine landing strip about 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) from the Mexican border, according to prosecutors, who said a drug-smuggling plane with Colombian registration was found in the same area four days ago.
Authorities also seized four vehicles and an AK-47 assault rifle during the operations in La Laguna.
Last year, Guatemalan police destroyed 15 clandestine landing strips in Peten.
Guatemala has become a transit country for drug traffickers trying to smuggle drugs from South America into the United States.
Between 300 and 400 tons of cocaine, according to the U.S. Embassy, pass through Guatemala each year.
Vice President Rafael Espada acknowledged last December that as a result of the drug wars in the United States and Mexico, traffickers have moved their operations to Guatemala.
“Guatemala is the victim of groups of drug traffickers who have escaped from Mexico, because they see fertile ground here. The Mexican cartels are entering Guatemala,” Espada said. EFE
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