Honduras Security News

Three women were hospitalized in Mina de Oro, Olancho, after being attacked with bladed and firearms on August 18; police are investigating the incident and the women's identities and conditions.

The animal-welfare organization PETA has written to Honduras's attorney general demanding investigation and charges in the case of Spike, a dog dragged behind a vehicle in Choloma, one of at least 27 animal-abuse complaints received by police this year, highlighting widespread impunity in such cases.

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.

Zoé Cano, 19, was discovered dead in an apartment in La Entrada, Copán, with multiple stab wounds and neck injuries; authorities believe she was killed in a violent altercation and estimate the crime occurred on August 16.

Police say businessman Jaime Roberto Becker Menardi, shot dead outside his motorcycle and car dealership in San Pedro Sula on August 8, likely was killed over financial debts to friends, according to investigators working several theories.

Security footage of armed men believed to be DPI investigators detaining a man at a business in northern Honduras has sparked public debate, as authorities have not confirmed the men's identity or whether the detention was lawful.

Between August 12 and 15, a law student was shot dead in a San Pedro Sula law office, three women were killed in separate incidents across Comayagua, Valle, and Francisco Morazán within roughly 24 hours, and police in Olanchito arrested suspects linked to a massacre and other violent crimes.

The military and police are intensifying patrols across Comayagüela's commercial zones, including the Belén Market, to prevent crime and protect traders and shoppers in the busy area.

A young man was shot and killed in the Villa Nueva neighborhood of Tegucigalpa; authorities are investigating and forensic teams are processing the scene.

Gracia María Medina Bonilla, a 30-year-old UNAH student studying physical education who coached girls' soccer in her neighborhood, was shot and killed on June 4, 2019, when a gunman asked about school hours at her Los Pinos home, waited for someone to open a window, and fired at point-blank range.

Pedro Darío Lobo Rodríguez, 38, suspected of arranging illegal migration to the United States, was shot dead inside an auto-repair shop in La Ceiba by armed assailants who fled on a motorcycle.

A Honduran extradition judge ordered the provisional arrest of Darwin Espinal del Cid, arrested Monday in Choluteca on a US warrant in connection with the killing of a 23-year-old Guatemalan woman in Pennsylvania, with a hearing set for September 2.

Dereck McNiel, a tourism businessman and son of prominent attorney Claudeth McNiel, was shot and killed on August 17 while driving in Roatán after dropping his child at school; he had been a protected witness in the investigation into the 2022 disappearance of Angie Peña, though authorities have not yet confirmed a motive.

A couple reported missing from Lempira on August 14 has been found dead in Tambla; authorities are conducting forensic identification and investigating the circumstances of their deaths.

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.

ATIC agents and military intelligence arrested Yasser José Castillo Méndez on charges of aggravated drug trafficking as a member of "Los Castillos," a criminal organization operating in Honduras's southern region.

Onner Suazo Martínez, a 26-year-old security guard, died when his motorcycle collided with a pickup truck in La Ceiba on the evening of August 15.

Security screening detected four packets of cocaine on two women attempting to enter the Ilama penitentiary in Santa Bárbara during a visiting day; both were arrested and referred to police investigation for aggravated drug trafficking.

Suany Aguilera, 35, was killed in a drive-by shooting on August 13 as she and her sister drove toward Santa Lucía on a road through El Sitio; her sister was wounded but survived.

Military police seized firearms, ammunition, cocaine, crack, marijuana, nearly 13,200 lempiras (about $530), and cellphones in a raid on Brisas del Rosario neighborhood in Villanueva, Cortés; no arrests were reported.

José Levis Reyes Canales, 13, drowned in the Patria Marathón sports complex pool in San Pedro Sula after becoming trapped on the pool stairs; the municipal sports authority said he had entered the area without authorization during a Special Olympics program activity.

Jesús Renán Guardado, 39, a miner who had worked for a company in El Mochito for 17 years, was shot and killed on a road near Las Vegas, Santa Bárbara on the morning of August 15; his father said the family had no involvement in any disputes.

A collision between a mototaxi and a motorcycle in Sabanagrande, Francisco Morazán, left six people injured on Saturday, including a child and a pedestrian struck by one of the vehicles; their conditions were not disclosed.

A joint operation by the Dirección Policial de Investigaciones and the public prosecutor's office freed a person held captive for four months by the 18th Street gang in Tegucigalpa, where the victim was subjected to torture and sexual exploitation before receiving medical and psychological care.

A 55-year-old woman from El Caracol, Choluteca, was treated for first-degree burns on her thigh and left arm after her son allegedly threw hot water at her; authorities are investigating and the Public Ministry referred her for surgical evaluation.

Honduras's telecommunications authority reports that Israeli-made signal-blocking technology deployed across 21 prisons has cut outgoing calls by 99%, though inmates continue to evade restrictions by smuggling mobile devices and using Wi-Fi messaging apps.

At least four people—a patient undergoing CPR, two relatives, and a paramedic—were injured when an emergency ambulance collided with a minibus on Fifth Avenue in Comayagüela; witnesses said the ambulance had lights and sirens on while the minibus was speeding.

A Catacamas woman filed a report with authorities after her ex-partner took her two children—a 9-month-old daughter and a 3-year-old son—without consent, allegedly moving them to San Pedro Sula; she is seeking police help to locate and return them.

Flor Cuevar, a young woman from Gracias, Lempira, died in a road accident in the El Sile sector, leaving family and friends in shock as authorities investigate the circumstances.

Police arrested a man accused of aggravated femicide and robbery in connection with the death and disappearance of Yorleni Melissa Argueta Alas in Puerto Cortés; he will face trial.