UN Warns on Central America Drugs, Crime
The executive director of the UN Office against Drugs and Crime, Antonio Maria Costa, said that drugs and violence threaten to paralyze the economic development of Central America.

"The alarm is evident: organized crime, gang violence, kidnapping and increased private security companies," listed the UN official in a study.

According to Costa, crime is the greatest obstacle for stability in Central America and, consequently, needs international assistance to move forward with development.

In "Crime and Development in Central America: Caught in cross fire," the UN official informs that regional countries are vulnerable due to their geographical location as drug routes between Columbia, the greatest supplier of cocaine, and the United States the greatest world consumer.

Every Central American nation is affected to some degree by drug trafficking, crime and unemployment as well as problems related to a high level of poverty, inequality and easy access to weapons.

According to the UN document 90 percent of cocaine en route to the United States crosses Central American territory.

Due to decades of conflicts the region has a large amount of weapons circulating in the country with resulting high levels of homicides in relation to world statistics.

The study also refers to violence between gangs as a significant symptom in the region, particularly in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras influencing a deep social distress.