The United States Department of State estimates that up to 10 tons of cocaine passes through Belize each year on its way to the US.
The cocaine trafficking has increased violence in the country. Out of a total population of 330,000, the homicide rate in Belize is 41.7 per 100,000.
Almost 40 percent of the population lives in poverty, and 25 percent of the economy is linked to tourism.
Source: “Belize, a paradise for tourists — and drug traffickers,” Channel News Asia, October 8, 2012.
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