Marines End Counter-Drug Mission in Guatemala
Marines End Counter-Drug Mission in Guatemala - Marine Corps News
Approximately 200 Marines sent to interdict guns and drugs in Guatemala have returned to the U.S.
After flying more than 250 detection and monitoring missions in support of local law enforcement agencies and naval forces, Marines from detachment Martillo left Guatemala City on Sunday, according to a Marine Corps news release. Over the past two months, the detachment used four UH-1N Huey helicopters to monitor sea lanes frequently used by traffickers.
“We saw an immediate impact in trafficking patterns along established routes after we started flying our helos,” said Col. Robert Rauenhorst, the detachment’s officer-in-charge.
The detachment was sent as part of Operation Martillo, an ongoing multinational effort launched in January to target illicit trafficking routes along the Central American coast. Other countries involved in the operation include Colombia, El Salvador, Nicaragua and the United Kingdom.