Nicaragua pardons, returns 21 Hondurans, including MS-13 gang leader

Mara Salvatrucha leader David Elias Campbell Licona, known as "El Viejo Dan", is escorted by Honduras law enforcement officers before being deported to Nicaragua, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, November 5, 2023. Secretaria de Seguridad del Gobierno de Honduras/Handout via REUTERS

MANAGUA (Reuters) - Nicaragua has pardoned 21 Honduran prisoners and returned them to its northern neighbor, including a leader of the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) criminal gang who was detained immediately upon crossing the border, Honduran police said on Sunday.

Nicaragua also plans to return prisoners to Costa Rica, the government of its southern neighbor said on Saturday.