On June 2, the National Police of Honduras captured a man identified by authorities as one of the alleged perpetrators of the massacre that left 20 people dead on an African palm farm in the village Rigores, Trujillo, Colón, in the Honduran Caribbean.
The detainee, known by the alias “El Gato Negro”, was arrested in La Ceiba in compliance with a court order while investigations continue to clarify the case that occurred on May 21.
The authorities indicated that the captured man is being investigated for his alleged intellectual and material participation in the armed attack that shocked Honduras. According to preliminary investigations, a group of armed men, dressed in uniforms similar to police uniforms, broke into the farm when dozens of workers were preparing to start their work day and opened fire with pistols and rifles.
The Undersecretary of Security, Rommel Martínez, reported that specialized teams from the Public Ministry continue with exhumations, autopsies and other forensic procedures to strengthen the investigation process. Meanwhile, security forces maintain operations in the department of Colón to locate other suspects linked to the massacre.
Investigation points to dispute over African palm
According to the Police Directorate of Investigations (DPI), the massacre would be related to the theft of the production of African palman activity that has generated clashes between criminal groups in the Aguán region.
The authorities explained that in this area structures dedicated to crop theft operate, activities associated with racketeering and the drug traffickingfactors that have increased violence in a region historically marked by land conflicts.
According to official records, the agrarian dispute in Colón dates back more than five decades, when land given to farmers through agrarian reform programs was later sold to agricultural businessmen. Since then, the conflict has caused numerous clashes and more than 200 deaths in recent decades.
#HCHNews | Heavily guarded, Carlos Alexis Molina Mencía, alias “Gato Negro”, the alleged intellectual author of the massacre that left at least 20 people dead in Rigores, Trujillo, Colón, arrives at the Departmental Prevention Unit of La Ceiba, Atlántida.
“Black Cat… pic.twitter.com/gBlK30n4aK
— HCH Digital Television (@HCHTelevDigital) June 2, 2026
#BREAKING | FIRST CAPTURED FOR MULTIPLE DEATH IN RIGORES, COLÓN #DevelopmentNews pic.twitter.com/sdBNU90k6P
— National Police of Honduras (@PoliciaHonduras) June 2, 2026
A tragedy that left communities in mourning
The massacre in Rigores caused consternation in Honduras due to the magnitude of the attack. The victims included men and women who worked on the farm, including young people and members of the same family.
Three sisters identified as María Linda Rodríguez, Mirza Rodríguez and Rosa Rodríguez died during the attack, according to preliminary reports. The authorities also confirmed that minors were among the victims.
lThe tragedy also left dozens of families affected and several orphaned children. Residents of Rigores have reported that many minors were left in the care of their grandparents after losing their parents in the massacre, a situation that has aggravated the social crisis in the community.
The capture of one of the alleged participants represents the first relevant advance in the investigation of a case that keeps the authorities on alert and has once again revealed the complex combination of agrarian conflict, drug trafficking, criminal violence and insecurity that affects the department of Colón.
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