Zelaya a narco-president?

[Illustration courtesy of La Prensa]

Honduras's new Foreign Minister has stated he has proof that former President Manuel Zelaya was involved in drug trafficking.

Every night, three or four Venezuelan-registered planes land without the permission of appropriate authorities and bring thousands of pounds [of cocaine] ... and packages of money that are the fruit of drug trafficking. We have proof of all of this. Neighboring governments have it. The DEA has it.

- Enrique Ortez Colindrez, Foreign Minister of Honduras

Obviously I'm no fan of former President Manuel Zelaya, but even I found this accusation shocking. Mr. Ortez Colindres is a veteran statesman, respected diplomat, and an attorney. I could be wrong, but I don't think he would make such compromising statements unless he had facts to back them up. There have definitely been a lot of small drug planes found crashed, abandoned and/or incinerated in various parts of Honduras this past year. See this slideshow [in Spanish]. The vast majority of them were registered in Venezuela.


This maps shows supposed drug trafficking flights originating in Venezuela that were tracked by the U.S. military.
[Illustration courtesy of El Nuevo Herald]

Perhaps the reason Hugo Chavez is so adamant that his puppet Manuel Zelaya must be returned to power in Honduras is simply to keep in place a key element of a narco-empire. Chew on that.