Honduran police break up 176 criminal gangs in 2023

According to Security Secretary Gustavo Sanchez, the police forces have successfully dismantled 176 criminal gangs this year.

These operations were carried out under the partial state of exception declared on December 6.

As a result, the Police Directorate of Maras and Gangs against Organized Crime arrested 1,273 individuals.

The arrested individuals are primarily charged with crimes such as extortion, drug trafficking, criminal association, and illegal possession of weapons.

This information was provided by a member of the Government Cabinet.

During the year, Honduras has witnessed a total of 1,700 homicides, with 444 cases lacking autopsies due to a strike by the Public Prosecutor’s Office that lasted for nearly three months, as noted by the Security Minister.

It is worth mentioning that this year, the number of homicides is 372 less compared to the same period last year, indicating an 18% decrease.

This decline in the homicide rate has been a topic of discussion by the Honduran government since 2022.

The claim was supported by the United Nations system and verified by the Observatory of Violence.