Gang Activity

Authorities arrested two men alleged to be Pandilla 18 members during a security operation on Tegucigalpa's peripheral ring road; police say they faced charges related to drug trafficking and had been sought for months.

Military police arrested a suspected Pandilla 18 member and confiscated guns, drugs, and tactical gear — including a vest bearing police insignia — during simultaneous raids in El Progreso and nearby communities.

Videos from the funeral of a drug lord killed by the Army alongside his wife showed armed attendees firing weapons; the president posted on social media identifying those in the footage as criminals seeking to intimidate the public.

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.

Honduran military arrested Henry Zalaya Umanzor, 45, a Salvadoran citizen suspected of illegal entry and criminal gang ties, at the El Amatillo border crossing in Valle; authorities say he has a criminal record in El Salvador for document forgery and aggravated robbery.

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.

A San Pedro Sula court sentenced José Nectaly Mejía Castellanos to 22 years in prison and permanent disqualification from public office for criminal association, illegal firearms possession, and drug trafficking.

Honduras's National Police clarified that security cameras are not prohibited in homes and businesses, dispelling social-media rumors that arose after police dismantled cameras allegedly installed by criminal gangs in San Pedro Sula.

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.