Honduras Security News

A man and woman were convicted of sexual assault, aggravated assault, and family violence against three children ages 6, 9, and 12, with the stepfather receiving 43.5 years and his partner an additional sentence.

Police and anti-kidnapping units rescued a 5-year-old girl and her caregiver in Las Vegas, Santa Bárbara, after kidnappers demanded 7 million lempiras (about $280,000) and abandoned them when officers flooded the area.

National Police arrested a 26-year-old engineering student in San Manuel, Cortés, after a court-ordered raid on a home where officers seized 15 kilograms of marijuana valued at approximately 500,000 lempiras (about $20,000) and equipment used for packaging drugs for distribution across the Sula Valley.

A Honduran woman reported a scam attempt using artificial intelligence to impersonate content creator Carlos Eduardo Espina in a fake video call demanding thousands of dollars by claiming a relative was detained.

National Police arrested a man in Tegucigalpa and seized 70 packets of cocaine, 20 packets of marijuana, and 80 bags of crack cocaine.

Luane Morazán Castillo, 23, disappeared on April 19, 2023, while six months pregnant, telling her husband she was going to buy dinner but never returning; police have made little public progress on the case, which reflects a broader crisis of missing women in Honduras.

A US federal court document from 2005 exposed a network of Honduran National Police officers—from inspector to subcommissioner rank—accused of using their positions to protect cocaine shipments for the criminal organization Los Cachiros, one of the Atlantic region's most powerful gangs.

Authorities in Catacamas arrested a woman during a raid and seized six firearms, cash, and other evidence from her home.

An elderly woman in Choluteca's Manuel Valladares neighborhood filed a complaint after her 22-year-old grandson attacked her with kitchen utensils and her daughter threatened her with death at the police station; both were arrested and police said protective measures will remain in place.

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.

Authorities announced interventions at multiple schools in Tegucigalpa after detecting cases of extortion by students against classmates and teachers, with some suspects allegedly tied to criminal organizations.

Police arrested a suspect in Intibucá in connection with the death of a woman; the man had an outstanding arrest warrant from the previous year.

UN Special Rapporteur Morris Tidball-Binz has called on Honduras to investigate and prosecute both the perpetrators and masterminds behind the Rigores massacre in Trujillo, Colón — in which 20 peasant farmers, including three children, were killed — and to guarantee reparations and non-repetition for affected communities.

Erlis Antonio León Castellanos, a Honduran convicted by US courts, ran a strategic storage farm near the Honduras-Guatemala border where the Valle Valle cartel cached cocaine shipments—ranging from 15–20 kg to hundreds of kilos—before routing them through Guatemala and Mexico to the United States.

A four-vehicle collision near Cofradía in Cortés left three people injured and hospitalized; the driver of one vehicle fled the scene.

Police say 793 men filed complaints of domestic abuse, maltreatment, and domestic violence in Honduras through July 2026, with authorities arresting 65 women in connection with the cases.

Police arrested a 22-year-old man in La Lima, Cortés, on an outstanding warrant for drug trafficking issued in July 2024.

Honduras is deploying traffic-control brigades on the CA-5 highway near Amarateca to combat drunk driving, speeding, and traffic violations, with plans to expand the surveillance strategy to high-risk roads nationwide.

National Police arrested two men in Dulce Nombre de Culmí, Olancho, on suspicion of trafficking cocaine after finding 10 and 5 small bags of white powder in their possession during a raid.

Prosecutors obtained a formal charges and pretrial detention order against a suspect accused of torturing and killing three men in the Cimarrón district of Francisco Morazán on May 11; the victims' bodies were found burned after an apparent drug deal gone wrong.

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.

A judge ordered Mauro Neptalí Sosa López held in pretrial detention on suspicion of sexually assaulting a child under 13; an initial hearing is scheduled for July 23.

Criminal groups are extorting schools and teachers across Honduras, forcing private schools to close or relocate and displacing over 550 educators in 2026, while the Education Ministry demands written complaints before taking action.

A court in Puerto Lempira ordered Stedman Reyes Valle held in pretrial detention on suspicion of illegal weapons possession and drug trafficking.

Milton Omar Rápalo, owner of a car wash, was shot and killed in a shopping center parking lot in San Pedro Sula on Monday afternoon; authorities are reviewing security footage and gathering evidence.

National Police arrested a man in Comayagua on suspicion of aggravated sexual assault against a minor.

Wualys Fuentes Aquino, the first runner-up in the 2026 Miss Universe Tegucigalpa pageant, was found dead in her apartment in Tegucigalpa after relatives reported her missing; authorities have not disclosed the cause of death pending autopsy results.

Olvin Javier Velásquez Maldonado, 40, was sentenced to more than four years in prison for conspiring to transport 24 kilograms of cocaine hidden in a boat traveling from Utila to Louisiana in 2022; his fingerprints on the drug packaging provided key evidence.

Police arrested a 39-year-old man in Tegucigalpa on charges of defrauding vehicle owners who consigned cars for sale; he allegedly transferred titles to third parties without authorization and forged documents, facing at least 16 complaints.

National Police arrested a 30-year-old security guard in Choloma during a preventive operation and seized several packets of suspected marijuana and cocaine; he faces charges of drug trafficking.