Nicaragua Frees 21 Hondurans, Including MS-13 Gang Leader

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Facts

  • Nicaragua on Sunday pardoned 21 Honduran prisoners, including Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) criminal gang leader David Elias Campbell Licona, and deported them to their home country.1
  • Licona — wanted in Honduras on money laundering and gang charges since 2016 — was arrested while carrying more than $400K in cash, following a police operation in Nicaragua's capital, Managua, in 2021.2
  • Earlier this year, the US Treasury called him an associate of the MS-13 — the first street gang to be designated as a transnational criminal organization by the Treasury in 2012 — and imposed sanctions on him for drug trafficking and contract killings.3
  • The self-styled businessman allegedly worked with MS-13 top leader Yulan Andony Archaga Carías to plot 'violent attacks' in Nicaragua. He now faces US charges of racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to import cocaine, and possessing and conspiring to possess machine guns.4
  • Although Nicaragua hasn't revealed why it has released the prisoners, the decision echoes a similar transfer that which took place on Oct. 18, involving 43 Honduran detainees. The country is also reportedly planning to return Costa Rican prisoners to their home nation.1
  • Previously, in February, Nicaragua declared more than 200 dissident prisoners — including seven former presidential candidates and influential journalists — traitors, stripped them of their citizenship, and deported them to the US.5

Sources: 1Reuters, 2Vice, 3CBS, 4Daily Mail and 5Verity.

Narratives

  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Alliance for Global Justice. Though mainstream media often depicts Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega as someone who governs through violence, the fact is that, under his leadership, the nation has become the most peaceful country in Latin America. While many other countries are struggling to fight criminal gangs, Nicaragua has been able to rein them in and hold their members accountable.
  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Divergentes. It's no coincidence that Nicaragua has pardoned a criminal like Campbell Licona, as the dictatorship of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo has turned the country into a highly efficient narco-state via collusion with drug traffickers to create a false perception that Nicaragua is an exception to criminal violence. Rather than being a positive development, this transfer is a worrying sign for the region.