Former Tocoa Mayor Adan Funez Arrested in Honduras Over Environmental Activist Murder

Former Tocoa mayor Adan Funez was taken into custody along with two other men after authorities said he masterminded the 2024 killing of environmental activist Juan Lopez. Lopez had led community opposition to an iron‑oxide mining project in the Colon region, warning that the operation threatened dense jungle and protected waterways. In September 2024 he was shot multiple times by a masked gunman after publicly demanding Funez resign over alleged corruption.

The arrests, made in May 2026, follow an investigation that linked Funez – a supporter of the mine and an ally of former president Xiomara Castro – to the shooting. The other detainees, businessman Héctor Eduardo Méndez and Juan An…, are reported to have ties to the mayor’s municipal administration or local business interests. International figures, including Pope Francis, the United Nations and the United States, had previously called for justice. The case revives concerns over the safety of environmental defenders in Honduras, echoing the 2016 murder of activist Berta Cáceres.