The suspects were detained Thursday near the prison, which lies about 25 kilometers (15 miles) north of Tegucigalpa, Hector Ivan Mejía told reporters.

Police seized AK-47 assault rifles, grenades and gas masks from the suspects, who were traveling in three vehicles, one of them armored, the spokesman said.

One of those being held in the National Penitentiary’s new high-security modules is Guatemalan national Mario Ponce, a reputed drug kingpin awaiting extradition to the United States.

The head of Honduras’ prison system, Danilo Orellana, said any attempt to rescue an inmate from one of the high-security modules would be doomed to failure.

An attack on the penitentiary would have led to many deaths, according to Orellana, as the guards are equipped with modern weapons and have undergone specialized training abroad.

(via COMTEX)