El Salvador Recalls Ambassador to Mexico Over Drug Plane Allegations

President Nayib Bukele said accusations by Mexico’s security minister that a plane carrying drugs departed from its territory were false.

Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele speaks during a news conference in San Salvador, El Salvador, on Feb. 4, 2024. Jose Luis Gonzalez/Reuters

Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele said on July 9 that he was recalling El Salvador’s ambassador to Mexico for consultations after Mexico’s security chief claimed that a plane allegedly carrying cocaine had originated in El Salvador.

In a social media post, Bukele called the accusation false and urged Mexico to clarify and correct comments by Security Minister Omar Garcia Harfuch, who said during a press conference that the July 3 flight had come from El Salvador before it was intercepted in Colima, Mexico.

Bukele shared an image of the flight path and said tracking data showed the plane never entered Salvadoran airspace.

The president said Costa Rica reported a suspicious radar trace northwest of its territory on July 3.

“It was Costa Rica that activated the regional alert through APAN, a Central American air security network,” Bukele said.

“According to its own report, the aircraft’s trace entered Costa Rican airspace, briefly disappeared from radar, and then reappeared as it exited toward the Pacific. Our radars did not register any aerial contact within our airspace ... Their report is clear: the aircraft flew over the Pacific Ocean and never entered Salvadoran territory.”

Bukele also criticized the Mexican government for not making public that three Mexican men were arrested over the flight.

“El Salvador does not shield criminals nor tolerate drug trafficking. We didn’t before, and we won’t now,” he said. “Nor will we allow attempts to involve us in operations that are neither our responsibility nor within our jurisdiction.”

Mexican authorities previously said three people were onboard the flight. They were arrested in Colima after 940 lb (427 kg) of cocaine was allegedly seized from the plane after landing.

Within hours of the post, Garcia Harfuch responded to Bukele on the social media platform X, saying that Mexican authorities first detected the plane about 200 km (120 miles) south of San Salvador, after which it ordered the military to intercept the suspicious flight. The map he posted also showed the plane’s route, although incomplete, over the Pacific Ocean.

Garcia Harfuch acknowledged that the men were Mexican and said they were facing criminal charges.

“We reiterate our respect and appreciation for the people of El Salvador,” he added.

Bukele responded to Garcia Harfuch’s post, saying that while the information he shared was factual, it failed to mention that there is no indication the aircraft originated in El Salvador.

“On the contrary, it was neither a Salvadoran aircraft nor did it have a Salvadoran crew,” he said in a reply to Garcia Harfuch’s post.

“We are willing to grant the benefit of the doubt and understand that what was said during the press conference may have been a misunderstanding, but we expect a more accurate clarification. It must be absolutely clear that there is not the slightest indication that the aircraft departed from our country, nor that anyone in El Salvador is linked to that drug shipment.”