00:00Criminal networks are once again operating with total freedom in Honduras and the problem
00:05of extortion has returned.
00:07Public transport operators say that in some neighborhoods they have to pay up to seven
00:12different criminal groups or else risk their lives.
00:16Gerardo Torres Zelaya reports from Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
00:23A public bus driver in Honduras may end up paying as much as 7,000 lempiras a week, about
00:29$300 in extortion fees to a criminal network.
00:32We spoke with a driver with over 20 years of experience who explained how the situation
00:37is becoming increasingly dangerous by the day.
00:40For security reasons, we have concealed his identity.
00:46At a bus terminal in one part of the capital, a fare collector, a young man was killed.
00:55He fell inside the bus after being shot, a victim of extortion.
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01:04Along the route where we work, we have seen many cases of workers being murdered.
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01:44from 3,000 to 7,000 lempiras a week.
01:53The current government decided to disband the anti-exertion unit,
01:57which was specifically tasked with confronting the gangs
02:00and criminal syndicates involved in extortion.
02:03Authorities promised to create a new unit,
02:05but unfortunately, six months into the administration,
02:08there are no visible results,
02:10and the situation appears to be spiraling out of control.
02:13This is part of the broader effort
02:19to build up criminal investigation capabilities.
02:22The state of Honduras is proposing the creation
02:25of a national anti-crime agency,
02:28specifically one targeting extortion and terrorist organizations.
02:32The division of investigation,
02:36of extortion and terrorist associations
02:38is not the National Anti-Crime Agency.
02:45This new entity is a specialized division
02:48tasked with pursuing groups dedicated to extortion,
02:52as well as those now classified as terrorist organizations.
02:56These new agencies operate under the coordination
02:59of the National Defense Council.
03:09Faced with such an adverse situation,
03:11some transport workers have decided to pay extortion,
03:14resigned to their fate,
03:16in order to save their lives,
03:18while others have been forced to stop working
03:20because it is impossible to make a living
03:22when the majority of their income
03:24goes toward paying criminal organizations.
03:31They rake in billions of lempiras every week.
03:34Several transport companies have pulled out because of this.
03:37These are the risks involved.
03:39We are afraid, personally.
03:47I tell the guys working with me never to skip those payments.
03:50Their lives are worth far more than the 100 or 200 lempiras
03:54they might otherwise take home.
04:00In just a few months, extortion has become unbearable
04:04and insecurity is on the rise.
04:06Meanwhile, the population that does not own a car,
04:08the vast majority,
04:09has been left without options
04:11following the ban on ride-hailing apps.
04:14People are exposed to various criminal groups
04:16that use violence to ensure timely weekly payments.
04:19The authorities in action
04:21is both inexplicable and suspicious.
04:23Reporting from Tegucigalpa, Honduras,
04:25for Tele-Surin English, Gerardo Torres Zelaya.
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