Pandilla 18

National Police arrested multiple suspected members of MS-13 and Pandilla 18 across Honduras during coordinated operations that yielded firearms, over 300 pounds of marijuana, and other evidence linked to drug trafficking and extortion.

Congress President Tomás Zambrano announced plans to push through legal reforms allowing gang tattoos—those linked to MS-13 and Pandilla 18—to serve as sufficient grounds for prosecution, arguing the measure targets only criminal members and would help overcome witness intimidation in high-crime areas.

A judge ordered three suspected members of Pandilla 18 held in pretrial detention at the maximum-security prison El Pozo after police seized an AR-15 rifle, marijuana, and cell phones during a raid in San Pedro Sula; they face charges of drug trafficking, illegal weapons possession, and terrorist association.

Keynner Eduardo Santos Meza, a suspect with alleged gang ties, was arrested on September 26 in connection with the March 2026 murder of Darwin Sady Aguilar Centeno, a 31-year-old member of Honduras's LGBTQ+ community, based on security-camera footage.

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.

A National Police inspector died in a firefight with alleged members of Gang 18 in the Rivera Hernández neighborhood of San Pedro Sula; authorities reported arresting several suspects in the operation.

Olvin Reynaldo Arriaga Baca, alias "Porking," was released on conditional liberty in April 2014 after being deemed a model prisoner, but killed two children six days later for refusing to work as gang lookouts; in 2025, he was convicted alongside other Pandilla 18 members in the deaths of three gang leaders in prison.

Reina Fabiola Salinas Cáceres was convicted of unlawful association after prosecutors argued she was an active member of Pandilla 18 (18th Street Gang), not merely the partner of gang leader Ricky Alexander Zelaya Camacho, alias 'Boxer Huber,' who was arrested in 2017.

A 20-year-old suspected member of the 18th Street Gang (Pandilla 18) was arrested in the Planeta neighborhood of San Pedro Sula; authorities seized approximately 7,928 lempiras (about $318), cocaine, and a mototaxi vehicle.

The anti-extortion and terrorist-association unit arrested an active member of Pandilla 18 who authorities say was assigned to coordinate the gang's illicit operations in the Amarateca valley area of the capital.

Police arrested two alleged members of the 18th Street Gang caught collecting extortion payments from transport operators and small business owners in Amarateca, seizing cash, phones, and a motorcycle.

National Police arrested a man suspected of belonging to the Barrio 18 gang on a drug possession charge in the La Rivera Hernández neighborhood.

Juan Guardado Portillo, 49, was shot dead by two gunmen on a motorcycle in Choloma on June 10; police suspect gang members demanding extortion were behind the attack, which also wounded a teenage passenger.

César Edgardo Ordóñez Aguilera, 18, an alleged 18th Street gang member, was arrested at a San Pedro Sula hospital — where he was being treated after a traffic accident — in connection with the May 2025 shooting death of Maycol Josué Osorto Reyes.

Police arrested three suspects allegedly linked to the 18th Street gang following an armed confrontation in the 15 de Septiembre neighborhood of Chamelecón, San Pedro Sula, where officers also seized high-caliber weapons.

A judge ordered pretrial detention for four men accused of being members of Pandilla 18 who were wanted in La Lima.

A court found five members of Pandilla 18 guilty of murdering a girl in the Santa Teresita neighborhood, according to the Public Ministry.