Honduras rolls out widespread gang crackdown

FILE PHOTO: President of Honduras Xiomara Castro delivers a national statement at the World Climate Action Summit during the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, December 1, 2023. REUTERS/Amr Alfiky/File Photo

TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) -Honduran authorities announced a slate of measures on Friday intended to cut down on organized crime, including the construction of a new prison, collective trials and terrorist designations for gang members.

President Xiomara Castro said in a late-night television address that security forces should be deployed to "urgently execute interventions across parts of the country with the highest incidences of gang crimes, such as murders for hire, drug and firearm trafficking, extortion, kidnapping and money laundering."