Honduras Security News

A new law requiring individual isolation and maximum-security confinement for prisoners identified as members of terrorist organizations, gangs, or maras took effect after publication in the official gazette on September 26.

A major fire swept through a gas station at the entrance to Yamaranguila, Intibucá, on Monday evening; authorities have not yet confirmed the cause or whether anyone was injured.

Joel Wilfredo Herrera Urbina, 47, was fatally stabbed in the chest and abdomen during a dispute with his partner at a drink stand in Villa Adela, Comayagüela, on Sunday night; the woman was arrested at the scene.

Onasis Jafet Rodríguez Gómez, 25, was found dead Monday morning in the Miraflores neighborhood of Tegucigalpa, bound and wrapped in a black plastic bag; police are investigating.

A cybersecurity investigation found that Chinese-linked hackers used malware called SparroWocky to spy on and remotely control government systems in eight Latin American countries, including Honduras, between mid-2025 and 2026.

Honduras's armed forces destroyed illegal coca and marijuana plantations in Olancho and Colón, seizing approximately 22,000 coca plants across four acres in Dulce Nombre de Culmí and 7,000 marijuana plants on two acres near Tocoa as part of nationwide drug-trafficking operations.

Honduras's National Police director says major leaders of MS-13, Barrio 18, and the Devil's Cartel remain at large or direct criminal operations from prison, with no top MS-13 chiefs arrested in four years despite U.S. rewards of up to $10 million for their capture.

Unknown persons set fire to the tomb of Blanca Melissa Morales Torres, a former Honduran soldier who died in a 2023 traffic accident, in a Santa Cruz de Yojoa cemetery, damaging photos, flowers, and decorative items; her family says the grave has been vandalized before and has asked police to review security footage.

An unidentified man was found dead Saturday night on the CA-13 highway near Las Brisas de La Libertad in El Progreso, Yoro; authorities preliminarily believe he was struck by a vehicle while crossing the road, but circumstances remain under investigation.

Carlos Noé López and Javier Antonio Espinoza, a mototaxi driver, were killed by gunfire inside a home in the El 50 neighborhood of Agua Blanca, El Progreso; authorities have released no details on motive or suspects.

Kelvin Geovany Perdomo López, 30, was found shot to death Saturday morning on the banks of the Choloma River in Cortés; authorities have not yet established the circumstances or identified suspects.

The bodies of Wilder Alexis López, 20, and Rey David Vásquez Ramos, 24, both from La Entrada, were discovered in advanced decomposition near El Porvenir on September 25; they had been missing since September 19 and were last seen in Trinidad, Copán.

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.

Edwin Salguero, 35, was shot multiple times by two armed men on motorcycles outside a fast-food restaurant in San Pedro Sula on Saturday; the attackers reportedly fled with approximately 200,000 lempiras (about $8,000) and remain at large.

Jymme Omar Gómez Cruz, an active member of Honduras's National Special Forces directorate, died of natural causes early Friday in Tegucigalpa; colleagues and friends recalled him as a devoted officer, skilled footballer, and valued friend.

A study supported by Spanish development agencies found that forced internal displacement among indigenous and Afro-Honduran populations in Gracias a Dios, Atlántida, Cortés, and Yoro stems from multiple causes including violence, land conflicts, territorial control by criminal groups, and human-rights violations.

Associates of Koriun Inversiones staged a peaceful march through Choloma demanding the release or modified detention of Iván López, who they say promised to repay their money if freed from jail.

An armored truck carrying cash to banks overturned in Santa María del Real, Olancho, after the driver swerved to avoid a motorcyclist and lost control.

Alfonzo Maldonado died from injuries sustained in a pitbull attack in the Hato de Enmedio neighborhood of Tegucigalpa, authorities confirmed.

Employees of Nueva Med, a Tegucigalpa clinic run by Colombian owners, told investigators that the clinic systematically deceived about ten patients daily with false diagnoses to sell expensive treatments, withheld worker wages, and surveilled staff via hidden cameras with audio.

A security operation in the mountainous Marale area of Francisco Morazán killed two suspected members of the Cártel del Diablo, but three others escaped into nearby highlands; authorities are continuing the manhunt as part of broader nationwide operations that also netted 15 arrests.

Tegucigalpa's municipal water utility UMAPS alerted customers that a former meter-reader is allegedly collecting unauthorized payments in several neighborhoods, posing as an official collector on a motorcycle while wearing a blue vest.

Congress has sent proposed criminal-code reforms to the Supreme Court that would allow police to arrest suspected gang and cartel members and search homes without judicial warrants in high-risk zones, with prosecutors validating the actions afterward.

Juan Carlos Rodríguez, known as "Piola," was shot and killed in the Guamilito neighborhood of San Pedro Sula; he died at the scene, and authorities say the circumstances and suspects remain unknown.

The Public Prosecutor's Special Tax Crimes Unit is conducting inspections of customs warehouses in northern Honduras on suspicion of tax fraud, in coordination with customs and national intelligence authorities.

Honduras's police disciplinary authority concluded its investigation into the May 2026 death of five officers in Corinto, Omoa, and recommended dismissing three active police members whose cases will be referred to prosecutors.

Gang and organized-crime conflicts rank as the second leading cause of homicides in Honduras at 13% of killings from 2014 to April 2026, with one in three violent deaths in Francisco Morazán and 26% in Cortés attributed to gang violence.

National Police arrested a Guatemalan man at the Copán border after detecting over 1,200 liters of undocumented aguardiente in his vehicle during a routine customs inspection.

Police arrested José Adrián Sierra Flores, 24, known as "El Negro," a suspected MS-13 member accused of drug trafficking, during an operation in Comayagüela as part of Operation Shield of Honduras.

Congress President Tomás Zambrano said three criminal organizations have been designated terrorist groups so far and more designations are possible, as the government announces new measures to tighten control in prisons and prevent gang leaders from directing crimes from detention.