The Central American Corridor: criminal networks and routes from Central America to Europe

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Publication Details

Journal
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Published
2026-09-14
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20385167
Primary Topic
Crime, Illicit Activities, and Governance
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

The Central American Corridor: criminal networks and routes from Central America to Europe

Jean-Luc Lottefier, Jeremy McDermott, Michael Jones, Razvan Budeanu et al.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Crime, Illicit Activities, and Governance
article

The Central American Corridor: criminal networks and routes from Central America to Europe

Jean-Luc Lottefier, Jeremy McDermott, Michael Jones, Razvan Budeanu, Marc Reina Tortosa
article en

Abstract

Costa Rica and Panama have become the principal launch platform for cocaine bound for Europe, exporting through Colón and Limón-Moín inside containerised trade whose sheer volume defeats inspection — nearly 100 tons seized in Panama and 46.5 in Costa Rica during 2025 alone. Domestic networks such as Bagdad and Calor Calor in Panama and the Cartel del Caribe Sur, La "H" and "Diablo" in Costa Rica have moved from renting logistics to coordinating and part-owning shipments, working for Colombia's AGC and, more distantly, Mexican cartels and Italian, Balkan and Dutch brokers. Cocaine reaches the two countries by go-fast boat from the Gulfs of Urabá and Morrosquillo and along a Pacific route carrying most of Costa Rica's inflow, then departs for Antwerp, Rotterdam, Algeciras and smaller EU ports, sustained by corruption reaching cabinet level in San José, laundering through the Colón Free Zone, and convergence with illegal gold, timber and wildlife trafficking.

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Institute for Magnetospheric Physics (US)
Peace, Justice and strong institutions
Openalex Percentile: Top 4%
Crime, Illicit Activities, and Governance
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The Central American Corridor: criminal networks and routes from Central America to Europe — Jean-Luc Lottefier, Jeremy McDermott, et al. · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) (2026) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS