Omoa, Cortes.
The members of the criminal structure of Heber Noé Argueta fled to Guatemala, directly accused of having murdered five agents of the National Police of Hondurasaccording to official sources.
After the officers were found dead, authorities quickly came up with information about Herber Noé Arguetawho is Honduran and resides in Corinto, Omoa.
Investigations by anti-drug agents indicate that “Los Argueta” are a criminal structure that settled many years ago in Guatemala and now operates on the Corinto border. The gang controls the drug traffickinghuman trafficking, smuggling of products and weapons between both countries.
During a tour of Corinto, as well as the border between both countries, LA PRENSA Premium managed to see the scope of the criminal structure, but also the actions carried out by the Police and Military. The residents, for their part, fear that there will be a new confrontation.
Nexus
was the date on which the murder of the five police officers was recorded in Omoa, Cortés
The “Los Argueta” gang is also considered the operational arm of the criminal organization of Hugo Roberto Galdámez Cabrera, who is linked to drug trafficking and for years has been identified as Guatemalan, but also has Honduran nationality.
Galdámez Cabrera was mentioned in December 2009 when one of his properties located in Tegucigalpita, Omoa, was raided by the police after investigations related to the murder of four young people who appeared floating in the Motagua River.
In that raid inside the house they found an M-16 rifle, a shotgun and a 3.57 pistol, but they did not find the whereabouts of those responsible for the crimes.
At that time, investigative authorities publicly stated that Galdámez Cabrera had an arrest warrant for crimes that occurred on the border between Honduras and Guatemala. One of the victims in that case was student Dolly Brownfild.
Crimes
The “Los Argueta” criminal structure, for its part, is responsible for the murder of Deputy Commissioner Lester Josué Amador Herrera and agents Dailin Francisco Elvir Quintanilla, Leonel Alejandro Valdez Núñez, Nels Makley Eguigure Benavidez and Emerson Josué Canales Fúnez, according to the Honduran Secretariat of Security.
On May 21, agents from the Anti Maras and Gangs Police Directorate against Organized Crime (Dipampco) entered a home located in Corinto without a court order to carry out a “removal” of at least 100 kilos of cocaine from the criminal structure, LA PRENSA Premium revealed after having access to the investigation report.
The agents were surprised by at least 150 people linked to the gang. At the house there was an exchange of gunfire in which two of the alleged gang members died. According to testimonies, they were veiled and buried in the community.
Two others were injured and sought medical assistance at a clinic in Zacapa in Guatemala, but days later the Police of that country handed over the subjects, who were identified as Eli Nahún Guerra and Jefri Josue Guardado Herreraboth residents of Corinth. They were accused of murder and given judicial detention.
Due to that incident, on May 29 the elimination of Dipampco was made official and the creation of the Anti-Extortion and Terrorist Associations Division was announced.
An investigator who requested anonymity told LA PRENSA Premium that “Los Argueta” is a criminal structure made up in Omoa by people from several communities in the area, although “they also have Guatemalan members.”
He stated that in Guatemala they have control points in several cities in Guatemala, where over the years he has acquired properties.
After the crime of the five police officers, investigations indicate that the members of “Los Argueta” went to Guatemala, while some stayed in Corinto, where the military and police are currently patrolling, LA PRENSA Premium confirmed in a tour of the area.
They do it in the communities and blind spots on the border, where military agents cross ravines, mountains, valleys and even break through barbed fences looking for the members of the criminal structure, who, according to their investigations, are hiding in those areas.
The Honduran Security Secretariat has fully identified 17 people, including the leader of “Los Argueta.” This work team toured part of the border area with the agents, who carried weapons, vests, helmets and all the clothing to carry out operations day or night.
The community of Corinto appears to be calm, but the residents are silent witnesses of the crimes and crimes committed in the border area.
Patrols
The commander of the 105 Brigade José Mauricio Amador Paniagua affirmed that the Armed Forces have scheduled coordinated operations with the Guatemalan Army at the international political boundary to deter criminal activity in both countries. He indicated that patrols, in which the National Police also participates, have intensified in the border mountains, always coordinated with the second brigade of Guatemala, to maintain a continuous, permanent and more solid presence.
He announced that they strategically planned the areas to be patrolled and established contact points to agree on the hours, places, extension and duration of the operations.
“In previous meetings we exchanged information with the Guatemalan Army, they provide us with details of the gangs that operate in their areas, as well as people linked to organized crime who have arrest warrants in force to give them support and in the same way we also give them information on Hondurans wanted by justice,” he added.
