Tegucigalpa, January 18 (RHC)-– Honduran lawmakers have passed legislation that allows the government to shoot down planes suspected of trafficking illegal drugs through the impoverished country.

The legislation was approved on Friday and authorizes progressive use of force to make unidentified aircraft land.

The lawmakers approval comes as Honduras has experienced an increase in the number of Mexican drug gangs in the country, as they are gradually taking control over the drug trade from Colombian traffickers.

The drug violence has driven the country’s homicide rate to the world’s highest, with 20 murders reported every day, as large portions of major cities are controlled by street gangs.