Network of land thieves, doing as they please

In the town of El Castillo in the face of the public institutions there is a group of land dealers that work inside Indio Maiz Biological Reserve, so then they can sell the land to settlers or farmers from some towns in the country like: El Ayote, Nueva Guinea, Rama, El Tortuguero, El Almendro, San Miguelito.

These land thieves have organised their own networks of trade that allows them to identify groups of 20, 30, or even 50 people with whom they can negotiate land by blocks of 25, 50 and even 100 acres inside the protected area.

The land price varies between C$800 (US$25) to C$12,000 (US$380) per acre depending on the area and the conditions of the land (access to running water, grass, established farming areas, etc)

This situation is widely known by the local authorities but due to action or omission, they support these land dealers. According to documented information by the environmental organization, Fundacion del Rio, there are a lot of example of where these land thieves also work as political leaders from the government. This allows them to act without consequence from the nearby communities to Indio Maiz.

Fundacion del Rio has reported 8 settlements where the invasion is deepest: Majagua, San José de Las Brisas, La Mariposa, Sinaí, Cristo Rey, La Danta, Nueva Samaria y Nueva Jerusalén.

It is important to mention that several of these areas have the support of the city hall of El Castillo to construct schools, bridges, roads, churches, etc. that incentivises the invasion.