Extortion

The Public Ministry formally charged prosecutor Bayron Ibrán Valle Ardón with aggravated violence against a woman, extortion, and illegal entry for allegedly using his office to enter his ex-partner's home without a warrant in Catacamas on April 25, 2025, and demand 6,000 lempiras to avoid her arrest.

Glenda Jiménez, a prosecutor with the Common Crimes unit in San Pedro Sula, was arrested by anti-corruption investigators on charges of allegedly accepting payments of between 500 and 20,000 lempiras from a complainant in exchange for promising to close a case against them.

A 50-year-old merchant was rescued alive in a mountainous area of Santa Rita, Copán, after being held for several days by kidnappers who demanded 2 million lempiras (about $80,000).

A suspect linked to criminal gangs that threatened residents of Villa Nueva was arrested following the displacement of multiple families from the neighborhood.

Criminal investigations unit ATIC conducted nine raids across multiple departments on August 31 targeting an extortion ring allegedly run by an inmate at the National Penitentiary of Támara, who used another person's bank account for over 51 million lempiras (about $2 million) in suspicious transfers.

Officers from the anti-extortion unit arrested Carlos Daniel Bonilla Martínez, 26, the suspected leader of Los Cabezones, and a 16-year-old during a raid in San Pedro Sula; the gang is accused of extorting roughly 1 million lempiras monthly from merchants and residents in Yoro.

A retrospective profiles Olvin Leonel Zambrano Pérez, alias 'El Ejecutor,' a suspected Barrio 18 hit man and leader whom investigators described as 'strategic, calculating, and bloodthirsty,' arrested in Comayagüela's barrio Lempira in July 2020 after months of surveillance.

The president of the Supreme Court said an ex-judge accused of extortion will not be reinstated despite potential appellate rulings, and must undergo administrative review by the Judicial Career Council.

A 17-year-old in Siguatepeque, Comayagua, faked his abduction and sent his mother threatening videos demanding 15,000 lempiras (about $600) to recover a pawned motorcycle; he and his 17-year-old accomplice were detained on August 15 and referred to juvenile prosecutors.

Police are investigating an alleged letter circulating in Tegucigalpa attributed to MS-13 that claims the gang has ceased extortion activities and urges merchants and transport workers to report anyone demanding illegal payments under its name.

Police have neutralized at least 10 self-kidnapping hoaxes from January through July, in which perpetrators—often family members—fake abduction to extort money, documents, or property from relatives, a crime criminologists attribute to eroding social values and economic desperation.

A Honduran court approved the extradition of 30-year-old Humberto Eliseo Sánchez Baca, known as "El Chevo," to El Salvador, where he faces charges of aggravated extortion, organized crime, and conspiracy to commit murder.

A 36-year-old security supervisor in San Pedro Sula was found unharmed after police determined he had staged his own abduction and sent WhatsApp messages demanding one million lempiras (about $40,000) from his wife; he was taken to a police station and will be referred to prosecutors on a charge of simulating a nonexistent offense.

Police rescued a man who staged his own kidnapping after his family deposited 20,000 lempiras (about $800) of the 50,000 he demanded; officers found him unharmed with the withdrawal receipt and 19,800 lempiras in cash.

A judge held an initial hearing against Wilmer Alexander Mejía Medina on charges of extorting a protected witness, with a preliminary hearing scheduled for July 21.

José Enrique Amaya, 29, was arrested in Yoro after police discovered he had staged his own kidnapping using tomato paste to simulate wounds, demanding 600,000 lempiras (about $24,000) from his sister in the United States.

Eleven Honduran police officers will learn their sentences on June 29 for allegedly planting evidence on two Filipino nationals and robbing them during an illegal 2023 raid in Villanueva, Cortés.

Honduras's new Anti-Extortion and Terrorist Associations Division (DAET) arrested 29 people linked to criminal structures in its first 25 days, including 10 through judicial warrants and 19 caught in the act, mostly suspected MS-13 members.

Police rescued a student held for ransom in Siguatepeque after kidnappers demanded 2 million lempiras (about $80,000) for his release.

The National Congress's Telecommunications Commission is advancing reforms to combat inmates' use of mobile phones and communications equipment to conduct extortion, including proposed penalties for satellite companies and prison officials who allow contraband devices into facilities.

The intercity bus sector, losing thousands of lempiras daily on major routes, is calling on the government to negotiate a subsidy or bonus to offset falling passenger revenue and rising operational costs including wages, fuel, taxes, and extortion.