Democrats on Capitol Hill want the Obama administration to investigate the deaths of four civilians in Honduras last year during an anti-cocaine raid involving U.S. law enforcement agents. But administration officials have balked at the request.

On May 11, 2012, four villagers in a boat on the River Patuca, two pregnant women, a 21-year-old man and a 14-year-old boy, were killed when local police entered the town of Ahuas in northeastern Honduras to conduct a counternarcotics operation. Another four boat passengers were injured by gunfire. It was later learned that members of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) participated in the raid, which raised questions of whether Americans were responsible for the killings.

The Honduran government investigated the incident and concluded the DEA was not at fault for the deaths.

But 58 House Democrats were not satisfied with the probe, which they called “deeply flawed” in a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry and Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. calling for the U.S. to conduct its own examination.

Officials with the State Department and the Department of Justice said their agencies have no intention of reopening the matter, according to The Washington Times.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

To Learn More:

Government Won’t Probe of DEA Raid in Honduras (by Guy Taylor, Washington Times)

Collateral Damage of a Drug War (Center for Economic and Policy Research) (pdf)

Man Is Killed by U.S. Agent in Drug Raid in Honduras (by Charlie Savage, New York Times)