HomeNewsBriefHonduran Mayor Killed by Gunmen 'in Military Uniforms'
BRIEF

Honduran Mayor Killed by Gunmen 'in Military Uniforms'

HONDURAS / 5 DEC 2012 BY GEOFFREY RAMSEY EN

The mayor of a town in western Honduras was killed by three armed men reportedly wearing "fake" military uniforms, raising questions about the degree of military corruption in the Central American country.

On December 4, the mayor of the western Honduran town of Dolores Merendon, Manuel de Jesus Guzman, was fatally shot while driving in a vehicle with his family. According to La Prensa, a preliminary investigation by authorities suggests that the official was killed by at least three gunmen, all of whom were reportedly wearing military uniforms.

After opening fire, the assailants immediately fled the scene. Guzman was declared dead upon his arrival at a local hospital.

InSight Crime Analysis

Although the paper, which appears to be the only Honduran media source to report the military attire of the gunmen so far, refers to them as "false uniforms," there is reason to question this narrative. While the Honduran armed forces are seen as more trustworthy than the country's notoriously corrupt police force, the military has a less than sterling reputation. Corrupt military officers have  sold weapons to drug trafficking organizations, and retired soldiers have provided military training to the Zetas, one of the most powerful drug cartels in the region.

Because of its strategic location -- it shares a border with both Guatemala and El Salvador -- Ocotepeque, the province where Dolores Merendon is located, has been identified by Honduran officials as a hotbed of drug trafficking activity. In April 2011, Security Minister Oscar Alvarez named Ocotepeque as one of the four main areas in the country which Mexican drug cartels are believed to use as an operations base.

Given the extent of corruption among Honduras' army and the area's importance to the illicit drug trade, there is reason to question whether Guzman was murdered by corrupt elements of the military. If this turns out to be the case, it would cast doubt on the Honduran government's current strategy of relying on the military in its fight against drug trafficking.

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.

Tags

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

ARGENTINA / 1 FEB 2022

In 2021, most countries in Latin America and the Caribbean experienced a marked increase in murders. Resurgent violence was to…

BOLIVIA / 29 DEC 2022

The US is losing allies in Latin America just as production of cocaine, fentanyl, and other synthetic drugs is going…

ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME / 6 JUL 2021

The future of a controversial highway in Honduras, thought to be a conduit for drug trafficking, remains uncertain as the…

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela Coverage Continues to be Highlighted

3 MAR 2023

This week, InSight Crime co-director Jeremy McDermott was the featured guest on the Americas Quarterly podcast, where he provided an expert overview of the changing dynamics…

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela's Organized Crime Top 10 Attracts Attention

24 FEB 2023

Last week, InSight Crime published its ranking of Venezuela’s ten organized crime groups to accompany the launch of the Venezuela Organized Crime Observatory. Read…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime on El País Podcast

10 FEB 2023

This week, InSight Crime co-founder, Jeremy McDermott, was among experts featured in an El País podcast on the progress of Colombia’s nascent peace process.

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Interviewed by Associated Press

3 FEB 2023

This week, InSight Crime’s Co-director Jeremy McDermott was interviewed by the Associated Press on developments in Haiti as the country continues its prolonged collapse. McDermott’s words were republished around the world,…

THE ORGANIZATION

Escaping Barrio 18

27 JAN 2023

Last week, InSight Crime published an investigation charting the story of Desafío, a 28-year-old Barrio 18 gang member who is desperate to escape gang life. But there’s one problem: he’s…