No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeCentral AmericaHondurasHonduras Announces Mega-Prison to Combat Crime Surge

Honduras Announces Mega-Prison to Combat Crime Surge

Honduras announced on Friday night the construction of a mega-prison for 20,000 inmates, among more than a dozen measures, by declaring a “security emergency” to combat the overwhelming crime. In a national radio and television broadcast, President Xiomara Castro and other members of the National Defense and Security Council (CNDS) unveiled the “crime solution plan” in response to public outcry over the surge in violence.

“Given this declared security emergency, the immediate construction of an Emergency Detention Center (CRE) with a capacity for 20,000 inmates in the unpopulated area between the departments of Olancho and Gracias a Dios (east) is ordered,” announced the head of the military, Roosevelt Hernández.

He added that inmates currently confined in the national penitentiary system will be “immediately” transferred to the CRE. Around 30 prisons house approximately 21,000 inmates in the Central American country.

The construction of the prison and other measures in the plan resemble those undertaken by the President of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, through which he has managed to control the “cancer” of gangs.

Upon assuming his second term on June 1, Bukele received President Castro and previously other Honduran government officials, apparently to present his successful security plans that could be replicated in Honduras.

Defense Minister Manuel Zelaya also announced that bidding for a prison, previously announced for 2,000 inmates, in the paradisiacal Swan Islands in the Caribbean, must begin no later than two weeks.

The military and police “must immediately plan and carry out urgent interventions in all municipalities identified with the highest incidence of hitmen, drug trafficking, extortion, kidnapping, arms trafficking, illicit association, and money laundering,” the president announced.

Security Minister Gustavo Sánchez explained that the actions aim to “establish control and restore order to physical spaces taken over by criminal structures in neighborhoods and communities with the highest crime rates.”

Additionally, there will be an “intensification of investigation and operations to locate, eradicate, secure, and destroy coca leaf, marijuana plantations, and drug processing centers,” he added.

For decades, Honduras, like other Central American countries, has been considered a transit point for cocaine from producing countries in South America to the U.S. market, but since 2017, Honduran authorities have detected vast coca plantations and laboratories for processing cocaine.

Trending Now

OIJ Warns: Costa Rica Now a Key Warehouse for Drug Lords

Costa Rica’s recent drug busts, with tons of cocaine and marijuana seized across the country, shine a harsh light on its deepening role in...

Costa Rica’s Defense Frustrates Mexico in Hard-Fought Gold Cup Stalemate

La Sele faced off against Mexico in a tense, scoreless draw at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas during the final matchday of Group A...

Panama Regains Control of Bocas del Toro After Violent Protests

Panama’s government has regained control of Bocas del Toro province after months of violent anti-government protests sparked by pension reforms, officials announced. The unrest,...

Costa Rica Hunts for Nicaraguan Hit Squad After Exile’s Assassination

Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) is investigating whether a hit squad tied to Nicaragua’s Ortega-Murillo regime is targeting exiled critics on its soil....

Costa Rica’s President Chaves Accused of Illicit Campaign Financing

On Monday, Costa Rica’s Prosecutor’s Office formally accused President Rodrigo Chaves along with six high-ranking officials and pro-government legislators of allegedly engaging in illicit...

Costa Rica’s Film Festival Kicks Off with a New Vision

San José is lighting up for the 13th Costa Rica International Film Festival (CRFIC), running June 19–29, 2025, with filmmaker Patricia Velásquez Guzmán taking...
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica