Troops of the Fuerza Armada de El Salvador (FAES), El Salvador’s Armed Forces, detected an illegal marijuana plantation while patrolling the northern zone of Izalco during a Thursday operation.[1] The patrol formed part of the military’s anti-drug-trafficking deployments in the area.[1] After the find, Defence Minister Rene Francis Merino Monroy warned that there is no space for drugs in El Salvador and that anyone who persists will face the law.[1]

The plantation held 132 marijuana plants in Cantón Las Marías, in the municipality of Izalco, department of Sonsonate.[1] The plants were in a rural area where difficult access and natural cover help hide illegal crops from the authorities.[1] Military personnel inspected multiple cannabis plants grown in containers and makeshift bags on rocky ground in low visibility.[1]

El Salvador prohibits sowing, cultivating or harvesting drug-producing plants including marijuana without state authorisation under its drug law, the Ley Reguladora de las Actividades Relativas a las Drogas.[1] Those found responsible for unauthorised sowing or cultivation face 5 to 15 years in prison.[1] The minister said the official strategy seeks to eradicate any drug-trafficking activity at its roots.[1]