At about 5 pm, officials began their search and succeeded in finding several rocks of crack cocaine over one ounce, powder cocaine, more than a pound of marijuana, and several homemade weapons. Also, 20 cell phones and their chargers.

The officer of the Public Relations office of the National Police, Julio César Rodas said, “Some 200 soldiers of the National Preventive Police of the city were at the correctional facility to ensure the confiscation of drugs, weapons and several cell phones from various cells in the prison.”

The Metropolitan Police spokesman said there have been other preventive operations this month in the San Pedro Sula prison.

“In so far this month we have seized more than 50 cell phones brought in by relatives of prisoners who then used the phones to make extortion calls in some cases,” he explained.

In the center are 2,178 criminal detainees, but the prison was built for a capacity of only 800. Rhodes said four to six new inmates are admitted daily.

“This has caused overcrowding in the cells. As an example, this month we have incarcerated an additional 55 persons” he said.