HONDURAS · SECURITY
Key Facts
- —What is happening Honduras is choosing among three state-owned sites for a Cecot-style maximum-security prison, and Congress president Tomás Zambrano toured one, the abandoned La Acequia jail, on Friday, 23 October.
- —Why it matters The prison would hold gang members Honduras calls terrorists, and it copies El Salvador’s Cecot, which a Honduran delegation visited on 16 October. Washington lists MS-13 and Barrio 18 as terrorist groups.
- —The numbers Officials say work could start in early 2027, with first modules ready 8 to 10 months later; earlier spending at La Acequia is put at about L500 million (about US$18.6 million).
- —Who is who Zambrano leads the 128-seat Congress; police director Rigoberto Oseguera Más and prison chief Walter Iván Amador Lacayo judge the sites; President Nasry Asfura backs the plan.
- —What to watch Congress plans to debate a tougher gang law on Tuesday, 27 October, while the final site, the cost and the funding are still undecided.
- —What it means for you Visitors and US investors face no announced change; the US link is the shared threat from MS-13 and Barrio 18, not any trade or travel rule.
Honduras wants a maximum-security prison for gang leaders. It is choosing among three state-owned sites, one an unfinished jail left to rust.
The Honduras megaprison plan moved forward on Friday, 23 October 2026. Congress president Tomás Zambrano and security chiefs toured the abandoned La Acequia jail to test whether it can be finished.
The target is a Cecot-style prison for gang members whom Honduras has declared terrorists. The Rio Times Honduras hub follows the country’s security push.
What Happened at La Acequia on Friday
La Prensa, a Honduran daily, reports that Zambrano toured La Acequia on Friday with police and prison officials. The site lies in Naco, in the municipality of Quimistán, in Santa Bárbara department.
Hondudiario quotes Zambrano putting the plot at about 50 manzanas, while La Prensa later quotes him at more than 100. A manzana is a local land unit of roughly 0.7 hectares, or about 1.7 acres.
He put the earlier investment at about L500 million (about US$18.6 million), which he called an advance on the project. Conversions use the rate of 24 October 2026, about L26.86 per US$1.
National Police director Rigoberto Oseguera Más told La Prensa the site is suitable but needs a large investment. He said it could be a reality in eight months if prison authorities and the finance ministry approve.
The Three Sites and the Timeline
Zambrano told La Prensa the three sites are La Acequia, one in Yoro department and one in Colón department. El Heraldo reports the state owns all three, and Zambrano said the choice should come within days.
He expects the budget to be approved in December and work to begin in early 2027. The first modules could open 8 to 10 months after that, he said.
El Heraldo, another Honduran daily, reports that prison chief Walter Iván Amador Lacayo said one module is 75 to 80 percent built. The paper adds that the full complex would hold 11,000 inmates if La Acequia is chosen.
Reports differ on the size of the existing work. La Prensa counts six unfinished high-security modules, quoting Zambrano, while El Heraldo counts three.
What Life Inside Would Look Like
On Tuesday, 20 October, Zambrano described a regime of 23.5 hours a day in the cell. Inmates would get 30 minutes of exercise and one hour of sun a week, he said.
Communications, money and food deliveries would be restricted, according to El Heraldo. He said the aim is to stop gang bosses from ordering killings and extortion from jail.
On Friday, Oseguera told La Prensa that some inmates would lose family and conjugal visits. Lawyers would meet them behind glass with small holes, he said.
Zambrano said the maximum-security system could hold about 1,300 dangerous inmates in the coming months. El Heraldo reports that Zambrano put the number of detained alleged gang leaders at 53 on 20 October.
Local Pushback and a Troubled History
La Prensa reports that Quimistán mayor Rubén Darío Pacheco Pereira wrote to Zambrano on Monday, 19 October, asking for another site. He says the Naco valley has about 21 industrial sites and 25,000 jobs.
He proposed turning the unfinished site into a technical training centre instead. The mayor said his municipality backs the Congress security agenda but not a prison in an investment zone.
La Prensa reports that La Acequia was planned after a 2004 fire killed 107 inmates in the San Pedro Sula prison. La Prensa dates the stall to 2016 and El Heraldo to 2017, and prosecutors scrutinised the spending.
La Prensa reports that Zambrano led a delegation to El Salvador’s Cecot on Friday, 16 October. It says El Salvador opened the prison in 2023 with an announced capacity of 40,000.
The Gang Law and the US Terrorist Listings
The prison is one half of a wider package aimed at gangs that Honduran authorities call terrorist groups. The other half is a reform of the Penal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code.
Hondudiario quotes Congress security committee member Erick Alvarado saying lawmakers plan to approve it on Tuesday, 27 October. It would extend the limit between arrest and a prosecutor’s request from 24 to 48 hours.
The US State Department designated MS-13 a foreign terrorist organisation in a Federal Register notice of 20 February 2025. It did the same for Barrio 18 in a notice published on 24 September 2025.
Hondudiario, quoting the US Embassy, reports that chargé d’affaires Colleen A. Hoey and State Department official Yvonne Gonzales met Zambrano. The quoted statement, reported on 22 October, mentions crime, terrorism and a favourable US investment climate, not the prison.
What It Means for US Readers
The plan matters to US readers because it targets gangs Washington treats as terrorists. Honduras is also copying El Salvador’s model, and none of the sources reports a US reaction or funding for the prison.
Nothing changes for tourists or business travellers from this plan alone. Investors should note that the cost is unfunded and the site is disputed locally.
What Is Not Known
The final site, the total cost and the source of the money are not announced. The finance ministry pledged on 20 October to find funds but gave no amount, El Heraldo reports.
Sources conflict on the modules (three or six) and the land (50 or more than 100 manzanas). La Prensa puts earlier spending above L400 million (about US$14.9 million) in one report and L500 million (about US$18.6 million) in another.
The mayor’s letter was reported only by La Prensa, and the embassy statement only by Hondudiario. Zambrano did not say whether the 1,300-inmate figure applies to La Acequia.
What Comes Next
Security chiefs and the prison authority are to decide on a site in the coming days, Zambrano said. Congress plans to debate the gang law on Tuesday, 27 October, after the Supreme Court sent advisory comments.
A decision on a site does not mean the prison is funded or approved. Construction needs a budget line, which Zambrano expects in December.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Cecot?
Cecot is El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center, a maximum-security prison for gang suspects. Honduras wants a similar prison for gang leaders it calls terrorists.
Where might the Honduran prison be built?
Three state-owned sites are under review, in Yoro, Colón and Naco in Santa Bárbara. La Acequia in Naco, an unfinished jail, was toured on 23 October.
When could it open?
Zambrano said work could begin in early 2027 and first modules could open 8 to 10 months later. That depends on budget approval, which he expects in December.
Why does the United States care?
Washington lists MS-13 and Barrio 18 as foreign terrorist organisations. The US Embassy discussed fighting terrorism and crime with Zambrano, but no US comment on the prison has been reported.
Does this change travel to Honduras?
No change for visitors has been announced. The plan concerns prisons and gang law, not entry rules.
Sources: Federal Register, MS-13 designation, 20 Feb 2025; Federal Register, Barrio 18 designation, 24 Sep 2025; La Prensa, La Acequia, 24 Oct; La Prensa, Zambrano tour, 23 Oct; La Prensa, Oseguera on isolation, 23 Oct; La Prensa, Quimistán mayor, 20 Oct; El Heraldo, La Acequia photos; El Heraldo, 8 to 10 months, 20 Oct; El Heraldo, three sites, 20 Oct; El Heraldo, Cecot visit, 16 Oct; Hondudiario, La Acequia; Hondudiario, US Embassy meeting; Hondudiario, penal reforms; Rio Times, gang law vote; Rio Times, Supreme Court advice (all accessed 24 October 2026).
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief