Canadian tourist operators in Honduras charged with money laundering and fraud related to sales of lands that actually belong to Indigenous Garifuna communities 

The most corrupt and violent time for the Garifuna people, in terms of foreign tourist “investors” seizing their lands, was 2009-2022 when Honduras was ruled with an iron fist by the “Open for Global Business”, military-backed, drug-trafficking regime of President Juan Orlando Hernandez, a government supported the entire time as a “democratic allie” by the US and Canadian governments.

After the US and Canadian-backed military coup in 2009 ousted Honduras’ government led by President Zelaya, the US and Canadian governments maintained full relations with the post-coup regimes and openly promoted the expansion of North American investor and corporate interests into Honduras.

During the ensuing 13 years of the repressive drug-trafficking regime of President Juan Orlando Hernandez, many Canadians (amongst others) happily came to buy their “piece of paradise” along Honduras’ Caribbean shore.

During this entire time, OFRANEH - the leading Garifuna rights organization – denounced that investors were purchasing lands stolen from the Garifuna people. Rights Action and other US/ Canadian organizations helped document and denounce numerous violent land invasions of foreign investors in partnership with corrupt government officials. Randy “porn king” Jorgensen, and a good number of his associates, were at the center of many such schemes.

Now, as it turns out, the “porn king” and his named associates were allegedly frauding other investors from Canada (and beyond) who had been all too happy to buy a “piece of paradise” in Honduras during the 13 years of the US and Canadian-backed drug-trafficking regime in power. 

233 assets of alleged Canadian fraudsters seized in Colón, for alleged irregularities in sale of land lots
El Heraldo news, April 11, 2024
https://www.elheraldo.hn/honduras/aseguran-233-bienes-supuestos-estafadores-canadienses-colon-honduras-MF18591409

COLON, HONDURAS - A total of 233 property assets, two trading companies and eight vehicles were seized from Canadian citizens Randy Roy Jorgensen, Malik Zoharan and Darren Wade Weeks accused of swindling in the department of Colon, northern Honduras.

The companies were identified as Desarrollos Visión de Vida S. de R.L. and Grande Trujillo Autoridad S. de R.L. and their properties were located in the cities of Trujillo and Santa Fe.

According to the investigations of the Public Prosecutor's Office, the three Canadians, since 2008, signed contracts for the purchase and sale of land lots, valued between 29 and 45 thousand dollars each, located in alleged real estate developments between the municipalities of Trujillo and Santa Fe.

According to the authorities, the complex is made up of the subdivisions Campa Vista, Alta Vista Beach, Alta Vista Mountain, Campo del Mar, Park Side and Corazalta, registered in the Property Institute of Trujillo, under different licenses, and which were offered to their compatriots in order to be subdivided.

After investigations by the Public Prosecutor's Office, it was verified that the purchase and sale value stated in the public deeds is not in fact the price paid by each buyer, most of them from Canada, committing the crimes of money laundering and continuous swindling.

This operation was carried out by the Public Prosecutor's Office through the Special Prosecutor's Office Against Organized Crime (FESCCO) and the Technical Agency of Criminal Investigation (ATIC) within the framework of Operation Corozo, with the support of the 15th Battalion of Special Forces.

Archives – OFRANEH: https://rightsaction.org/ofraneh-archives
Since 1998, Rights Action has supported OFRANEH that - along with COPINH – is a leading community defense organization struggling in defense of land, the environment, indigenous rights and a fair and just “development” model.

OFRANEH
@ofraneh / [email protected] / www.ofraneh.org / http://www.ofraneh.wordpress.com

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