Honduras arrests mayor accused of trafficking cocaine to US

Wilmer Wood, mayor of Brus Laguna, sits after being detained by armed forces on drug trafficking charges, in La Ceiba, Honduras in this undated handout photo released August 27, 2023. Public Ministry of Honduras/Handout via REUTERS

TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - A mayor in Honduras was arrested on Sunday on charges of working with drug cartels to smuggle 90 tons of cocaine to the United States by boat and plane.

Mayor Wilmer Manolo Wood of Brus Laguna, in the remote Mosquitia region that borders Nicaragua, was taken into custody, said Jorge Galindo, a spokesperson for the Honduran prosecutors' office. He is accused of working with three cartels: Los Piningos, Los Yanez and Los Amador.