Shifting dynamics between (street) gangs and organised crime groups: a look into Honduras’ complex criminal landscape

This article analyses the relationship between (street) gangs and organised crime in Honduras, with the aim of offering a more nuanced depiction of the complexity of the criminal landscape of the country and of its shifting dynamics. The criminal landscape in Honduras is profoundly complex, whereby gangs, narcotraffickers, drug gangs and other criminal groups compete over geographical and economical territories. In doing so, they try to find ways to coexist or exterminate rivalry groups. In recent years, the relationship between gangs and narcotraffickers in the country has increased the question about the links between these two groups, without finding an evidence-based answer that goes beyond speculations. Of the few explorations of the connections between gangs and narcotraffickers that do exist, most take a very strong stance on the existence or absence of such relationships, often leading to a polarized image of the issue. By implementing a gendered perspective to the largely male-dominated study of gangs in the country, the present study relies on a content analysis of gang and narcotrafficking-related coverage by two Honduran newspapers (El País and El Pulso), and is informed by fieldwork (interviews, focus groups and observations) carried out in Honduras between 2018 and 2020, and by numerous interviews carried out with experts on the topic and gang members from 2018 to 2021.