HomeNewsBriefFormer Honduran Security Min Alvarez Denies Link to Criminals
BRIEF

Former Honduran Security Min Alvarez Denies Link to Criminals

HONDURAS / 11 NOV 2011 BY RONAN GRAHAM EN

Former Honduran Security Minister Oscar Alvarez, who left office abruptly in September, has denied allegations of corruption and accusations that elements in his office colluded with organized crime.

In a television appearance this week, Alvarez (pictured to the left) dismissed allegations made by the director of the National Autonomous University of Honduras, Julietta Castellanos, that his team "was in collusion with drug traffickers," the Honduran daily El Heraldo reports.

Alvarez's resignation was a surprise since he was viewed by some as one of President Porfirio Lobo's closest advisers.

News reports in September said that Alvarez was forced to quit because of tensions between his office and the leadership of the National Police. Alvarez, who claimed the Honduran police are thoroughly infiltrated by criminal groups, had made concerted efforts to purge the police of corrupt elements.

Speaking of his departure in his recent television appearance, Alvarez said he "could not say" if the threat of an uprising against the government by the former director of the National Police, Jose Luis Munoz Licona, and other senior officers, led President Lobo to force him from office.

"Some police officers told the President that my plans were to destroy the police. I just wanted a clean and pure police, based on the experience of Colombia," he said.

In late October, President Lobo announced a new security plan and pledged to remove "bad apples" in National Police.

share icon icon icon

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

What are your thoughts? Click here to send InSight Crime your comments.

We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article.

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

Related Content

BARRIO 18 / 17 JAN 2023

To Desafio, the Barrio 18 gang in Honduras was everything. It provided a family, a sense of belonging. Until his…

COCA / 19 APR 2022

Coca farms and cocaine production camps are proliferating in Honduras, showing that the illicit crop has taken root in the…

KIDNAPPING / 22 SEP 2021

The Venezuelan police have stepped in amid a spate of violent crimes caused by gang members pretending to sell cars…

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

All Eyes on Ecuador

2 JUN 2023

Our coverage of organized crime in Ecuador continues to be a valuable resource for international and local news outlets. Internationally, Reuters cited our 2022 Homicide Round-Up,…

WORK WITH US

Open Position: Social Media and Engagement Strategist

27 MAY 2023

InSight Crime is looking for a Social Media and Engagement Strategist who will be focused on maintaining and improving InSight Crime’s reputation and interaction with its audiences through publishing activities…

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela Coverage Receives Great Reception

27 MAY 2023

Several of InSight Crime’s most recent articles about Venezuela have been well received by regional media. Our article on Venezuela’s colectivos expanding beyond their political role to control access to…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime's Chemical Precursor Report Continues

19 MAY 2023

For the second week in a row, our investigation into the flow of precursor chemicals for the manufacture of synthetic drugs in Mexico has been cited by multiple regional media…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime’s Chemical Precursor Report Widely Cited

THE ORGANIZATION / 12 MAY 2023

We are proud to see that our recently published investigation into the supply chain of chemical precursors feeding Mexico’s synthetic drug production has been warmly received.