Central America
Witness details how weapons entered prisons during the truce
May 2 |
Today, this public hearing continued with the appearance of the first six of 42 witnesses, the Specialized Sentencing Court C, in San Salvador, continued, this Tuesday, with the public hearing against former President Mauricio Funes and former Minister of Security, David Munguía Payés, in the case “Truce between gangs”, through which the FMLN government granted benefits to the gangs in exchange, allegedly, to stop attacking the Salvadoran population.
Among the first six witnesses are the heads of the monitoring and intelligence center, and the deputy directors of security at the Izalco prison in Sonsonate and the Zacatecoluca prison in La Paz. All the witnesses are part of a group of 30 people summoned by the Attorney General’s Office.
The six witnesses confirmed the granting of benefits for gang members held in both prisons and meetings to plan, together with the leaders in prison, the actions of the gang members who were on the street, all of which were endorsed by Munguia Payes and the former president.
“I want to denounce seven illegal acts committed by the authorities of the prisons, the Ministry of Security and the government during the period of the truce: One was the entry of mediators without registration; the departure of gang members, clique leaders, to other prisons to meet with other leaders; intimate visits without due permission and procedure; the entry of discos to entertain parties inside the prison; the entry of scantily clad dancers; the simulation of searches and the removal of machines that had information on everything carried out in the prison,” said the former deputy director of security at the Izalco prison.
According to the witness, all of these actions were endorsed by the director of the prison, Juan José Zepeda, and the director of prisons, Nelson Rauda, who received orders from both defendants.
“These people asked the so-called mediators of the truce, who at the beginning were Monsignor Fabio Colindres, Raul Mijango, Roberto Diaz and various street gang leaders, to enter without going through the three security rings,” the witness said.
As well as the deputy director of security at the Izalco prison, one of the people in charge of the monitoring and intelligence center at the prison also pointed out how the mediators, and those who met with the gang members, brought food and objects to Fabio Colindres, Raul Mijango, Roberto Diaz and Father Toño, as Antonio Rodriguez Tercero, a Passionist priest, is known.
In addition to detailing how these weapons would have been brought into the Izalco prison, through the punching bag, both said that the supposed mediators always arrived with briefcases and bags and that when they tried to be searched, they always made calls so that the security guards in charge of the prisons would be ordered to let them pass without any procedure or review.
“On one occasion a simulated search was carried out, these were not programmed, on that occasion 50 cell phones were located in sectors 1 and 2 of the Izalco prison, however, none of these were reported, and at the end of the search all were returned to the gang members,” said the deputy director of security at the Izalco prison.
The Specialized Sentencing Court C of San Salvador expects the public hearing to last five days. During this period, 30 witnesses are expected to appear, and one of Munguia Payes’ defense attorneys has reported that they will present between 10 and 12 witnesses to refute the accusation.
Central America
Guatemala Dismantles Largest Cocaine Lab Found in 15 Years Near Mexico Border
Security forces in Guatemala discovered what authorities described as the largest cocaine laboratory dismantled in the country in the last 15 years, located in the southwest near the border with Mexico, officials announced on Wednesday.
Guatemalan Defense Minister Henry Sáenz said during a press conference that the operation was carried out as part of “Operation Ring of Fire,” a large-scale security initiative launched by the Guatemalan government and military to reinforce border controls and combat organized crime, particularly along the Mexican border.
The operation focused on the community of Zanjón San Lorenzo, in the municipality of Ayutla, San Marcos department, where authorities uncovered a sophisticated criminal compound made up of three interconnected buildings equipped to carry out the full cocaine production process.
“What we can preliminarily observe in these facilities is the complete production cycle used to produce cocaine ready for consumption,” Sáenz stated, adding that the investigation remains ongoing and additional findings could emerge.
The minister highlighted the scale and complexity of the laboratory, comparing it to previous major drug seizures in the country.
“The last major laboratory we found was in El Estor, Izabal, in 2019, and that facility only processed coca paste,” he explained.
Authorities arrested eight individuals during the raid and seized a cache of weapons that included 14 military-style assault rifles, three 9mm pistols, and 1,306 rounds of ammunition.
Security forces also confiscated cash totaling 74,461 quetzales (approximately $9,600), $26,787 in U.S. currency, and 118,000 Mexican pesos.
Central America
Opposition leader highlights migration crisis in Panama speech
Opposition leader María Corina Machado recalled on Monday, during her final day in Panama, the thousands of Venezuelan migrants who crossed the dangerous Darién Gap jungle on their journey toward North America in search of better living conditions.
Speaking before Panama’s National Assembly, Machado stated that “more than 500,000 Venezuelans have crossed the Darién in search of freedom,” adding that many did not survive the journey.
Her remarks highlighted the Darién Gap as a central route in the recent regional migration crisis, where thousands of migrants—mostly Venezuelans—have attempted to travel north through one of the most dangerous jungle passages in the Americas.
According to migration data cited in recent years, the Darién route has seen daily flows of over a thousand migrants at its peak, reflecting the scale of the humanitarian challenge in the region.
Central America
Nicaragua’s Alliances With U.S. Rivals Could Trigger More Sanctions, Analysis Says
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to maintain political and economic pressure on the government of Nicaragua, led by Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, due to its growing alliances with Russia, China and Iran, according to an analysis released Monday by the Centro de Estudios Transdisciplinarios de Centroamérica (Cetcam).
The report states that tensions between Washington and Managua have increased since the beginning of Trump’s second term and could worsen amid the regional political climate, particularly because of developments in Venezuela and Cuba.
Cetcam researchers noted that since the second half of 2025, the U.S. government has intensified criticism of the Sandinista administration, mainly regarding political prisoners, human rights, religious freedom and what it describes as the authoritarian model established by Ortega and Murillo.
“With this background, it is possible to foresee that Washington will maintain pressure, including sanctions, against the Ortega-Murillo dictatorship,” the think tank stated in its report.
The study also warns that one of Washington’s main concerns is the strengthening relationship between Managua and countries considered strategic rivals of the United States, particularly Russia, China and Iran.
Among the developments highlighted is the recent ratification by the Russian Senate of a military cooperation agreement signed with Nicaragua in 2025. The deal is expected to strengthen strategic coordination and Russia’s presence in Central America for an initial five-year period.
According to Cetcam, the move will “hardly go unnoticed” by the United States.
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