[REVISION HISTORY]

Honduran law enforcement crackdown on organized crime

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2026-09-28 21:32 UTC → 2026-10-10 15:25 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Honduran law enforcement authorities have intensified operations against organized crime following efforts by National Police Director Rigoberto Oseguera Mass to secure expanded powers through Decree 84-2026 and a state of exception. Security forces conducted large-scale operations across 30 municipalities, including southern Yoro, northern Atlántida, Choloma, and Baracoa. The National Police reported the dismantling of 164 criminal gangs and the arrest of 598 individuals. These operations targeted drug trafficking, human trafficking, arms smuggling, vehicle theft, and robberies. Authorities noted the involvement of minors within some criminal structures. In San Pedro Sula, the Military Police of Public Order (PMOP) arrested members of the Pandilla 18 gang, including Nelson Antonio Gómez Licona and Carlos David Portillo Rivera, in the Chamelecón sector to neutralize extortion and assassination networks. Security Minister Gerzon Velásquez reported that homicides decreased by half over a two-week period, coinciding with new measures targeting organizations classified as ‘terrorist associations’. Authorities are monitoring the ‘Cártel del Diablo’, noting that three members were processed and two others died during a confrontation with police in Marale, Francisco Morazán. Recent security operations have expanded across 18 departments, with the National Police deploying 134 operational points and executing over 20 raids in areas such as Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula. Under the new legal framework for terrorist association, authorities arrested three individuals: two alleged Pandilla 18 members, known as ‘Escalador’ and ‘Kike’, in Cantarranas, and an alleged MS-13 member known as ‘La Patrona’ in Ojojona. Separately, a judge ordered the judicial detention of Keynner Eduardo Santos Meza for the March 2026 murder of Darwin Sady Aguilar Centeno, a member of the LGBTQ+ community. Law enforcement has since launched ‘Operación Escudo de Honduras’, a large-scale security operation led by the Directorate of Police Investigations (DPI) and the Anti-Extortion and Terrorist Associations Division (DAET).

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