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Honduras authorities dismantle human trafficking ring and arrest criminal suspects
Honduran law enforcement agencies have conducted several operations targeting organized crime. In San Pedro Sula, the Dirección Policial de Investigaciones (DPI) dismantled the Valdivieso criminal structure, which was allegedly involved in aggravated human trafficking. Three suspects—two men and one woman—were arrested for orchestrating the irregular movement of Hondurans toward the United States. The group reportedly charged initial payments of approximately 190,000 lempiras, using public transportation and coordinated phone calls to move migrants through Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico.
In other regional operations, police in La Ceiba arrested seven members of the “Los Espartanos” gang, a group specialized in cattle theft and illegal sales. Authorities seized 18 head of cattle, several vehicles, and mobile phones during the raid. Additionally, the DPI captured a 46-year-old man in Atlántida who had been wanted for murder since April 2008.
In a separate legal development, a judge issued a formal processing order against Melvin Cevallos Umanzor, a coordinator for the Libertad y Refundación (Libre) party. Cevallos is accused of electoral coercion and threats after allegedly leading protests that obstructed the bidding process for the 2025 preliminary election results transmission system (TREP).
Entities
Dirección Policial de Investigaciones · Honduras · Libertad y Refundación · Mara Salvatrucha · Melvin Cevallos Umanzor · National Civil Police · National Police of Honduras · Petén · San Manuel · San Pedro Sula · United States · Valdivieso gang
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The group allegedly used public transportation and telephone calls to coordinate movements.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Authorities captured three suspects, including two men and one woman, for aggravated human trafficking.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The group allegedly charged an initial payment of approximately 190,000 lempiras for irregular migration services.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] One man allegedly coordinated transfers within Honduras and received money.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] A third suspect allegedly guided migrants through Guatemala and Mexico to the United States border.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] A woman in the group allegedly recruited citizens, coordinated trips, provided lodging, and received payments.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The DPI dismantled a criminal structure linked to aggravated human trafficking in San Pedro Sula.
- [● 2 SOURCES] The suspects are linked to a criminal structure known as the Valdivieso gang.