Central America
More than 215 gang members deported from Guatemala and Mexico in war on gangs
November 20 |
More than 215 gang members from different terrorist structures have been deported from Guatemala and Mexico to El Salvador as part of the frontal combat against gangs between the end of March 2022 and November 7 of this year, according to data from the General Sub-Directorate of Criminal Investigation (SGIC) of the National Civil Police (PNC) of Guatemala and the National Institute of Migration of Mexico (INM).
On several occasions, the Minister of Justice and Public Security, Gustavo Villatoro, has emphasized that the arrests of the gang members trying to flee from justice are thanks to the good investigative and intelligence work of the Salvadoran police in coordination with Guatemalan and Mexican authorities.
The Security Minister reiterated that the war against gangs, conceived by President Nayib Bukele, will end until the last terrorist is captured and that none of them will escape justice, even if they flee to other countries.
On November 9, the SGIC of the Guatemalan police reported that from January 1 to November 7, 2023, 76 gang members were arrested and handed over to the authorities in El Salvador.
The total number of those apprehended were sent to the Guatemalan Migration Institute (IGM) to be handed over to the Salvadoran Police. Guatemalan authorities indicated that among those captured were 38 members of the Mara Salvatrucha (MS) and 38 of the Barrio 18 gang, from whom 13 pistols, a shotgun, 12 magazines, a motorcycle, two rifles, 192 rounds of ammunition of different calibers, 51 cell phones and a vehicle were seized.
The official report states that the terrorists were wanted by the Salvadoran PNC for committing crimes in the country.
In 2022, 94 Salvadorans were apprehended, of whom 75 were handed over to the security forces and 19 are serving sentences in Guatemala. Of the total number of those captured, 46 were from gang 18, 36 were from the MS and 12 were from other criminal groups. During the operations, 19 firearms, 226 rounds of ammunition of different calibers, 32 cell phones, 14 pistols, nine hoppers and two motorcycles were seized.
The deportees belonged to Las Cachorras, Teclas Locos Salvatruchas and Programas San Marcos MS-13.
The head of the Transnational Anti-Gang Center (CAT), Randall García, commented that the personnel under his charge have carried out 63 deportations and eight captures of members of the cliques, and that the work is carried out by human talent specialized in the search, location and arrest of Salvadoran, Honduran and Mexican criminals operating in Guatemalan territory.
He added that they currently maintain continuous communication with the countries that make up the Northern Triangle of Central America, Mexico and Belize.
“Specific plans are being carried out in border areas where police presence has been maintained with operational control devices, investigation and police intelligence units to reduce the incursion of gang members due to the regime applied by the Government of El Salvador,” said Najarro.
Meanwhile, reports from Mexico’s National Migration Institute (INM) show that in 2021 they arrested seven gang members, while in 2022 they closed with 22 arrests; the figure represents an increase of 214% over the previous year.
According to Mexican authorities, this increase is a result of the security policies implemented by President Bukele’s government against the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and Barrio 18 gangs, which for many years generated terror among Salvadorans.
The latest captures were announced by Minister Gustavo Villatoro. Those arrested were Reyes de Jesús Flores Menjívar, alias Vilma, of the 18 Sureños gang, arrested in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, and José Steven Tablas López, alias Chele, of the MS-13 structure, apprehended in Tijuana, Mexico.
The terrorists will be prosecuted for the crime of illicit groupings and will serve years in prison. “We are no longer the State that served the interests of criminals. Those times are over,” added the official.
Central America
Arévalo accuses Porras and judge of undermining democracy in Guatemala
Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo denounced a new attempt at a “coup” orchestrated by the Attorney General’s Office. He also requested an extraordinary session at the Organization of American States (OAS) to address the country’s ongoing political crisis.
The president has been at odds with Attorney General Consuelo Porras, who has been sanctioned by the United States and the European Union for being “corrupt” and “anti-democratic.” Since 2023, Arévalo has accused Porras of launching investigations against his party, Semilla, and the 2023 elections as part of a scheme to prevent his inauguration in January 2024.
From the presidential office, Arévalo has said he continues to “resist” the “coup plotters,” but tensions escalated last Friday when Judge Fredy Orellana, at the request of the Attorney General’s Office, ordered the electoral court to annul the Semilla party’s promoter group. Arévalo interpreted this as an attempt to revoke the positions won by the party.
“Orellana, a hitman who distorts the law in service of Consuelo Porras, is attempting to force […] the unconstitutional removal of a mayor, 23 elected deputies […], the vice president, and the president of the country,” Arévalo said in a televised address on Sunday.
“We call on the international community not to turn a blind eye to the coup being attempted in Guatemala,” he added, speaking alongside his cabinet and congressional members at the National Palace in Guatemala City.
Arévalo requested that the Organization of American States hold an extraordinary session to present “the serious threats” to the Guatemalan Constitution and democracy perpetrated by Porras and Orellana.
Yesterday, Guatemalan Foreign Minister Carlos Ramiro Martínez reaffirmed the president’s statements, emphasizing the need “to go and expose the situation” Guatemala has been facing since last week due to the actions of the Attorney General’s Office.
Central America
New dismembered bodies found in San Juan river days after mass killing in Palencia
On the morning of Monday, October 27, Guatemala’s Volunteer Firefighters confirmed the discovery of two bodies and two human heads inside plastic bags in the San Juan River, located in the Zacualpía village at kilometer 21 of the Atlantic Highway, in the jurisdiction of Palencia.
The remains were found by personnel from Companies 85, 50, and Central, who responded after receiving a report about suspicious bags floating in the water. The gruesome discovery was made just a few meters from the site where eight tortured bodies were found under the San Juan Bridge on Friday, October 24.
Local authorities do not rule out a connection between both incidents and suspect they may be tied to the same criminal organization. Investigators from the Public Ministry and the National Civil Police arrived at the scene to gather evidence and transfer the remains to the National Institute of Forensic Sciences (Inacif).
According to data from the National Economic Research Center (CIEN), Guatemala recorded 2,154 homicides between January and August 2025, an increase compared to the 1,816 reported during the same period in 2024.
Central America
Four guatemalan soldiers arrested for stealing weapons from Northern Air Command
Four soldiers were arrested in connection with the theft of weapons from the Northern Air Command of the Ministry of Defense in Petén, Guatemala, following operations conducted by the Public Ministry (Prosecutor’s Office).
“During the operations, criminal scenes were processed, analyzed, and documented photographically, possible escape routes were identified, surveillance cameras were located, and potential witnesses were interviewed,” the Prosecutor’s Office explained in a social media post.
The detained soldiers were identified as Ludwin Jónathan Cardona Baltazar, charged with illicit association, dereliction of duty, and aggravated theft; and Josué Israel Pérez Jerónimo, Alain Omar Marroquín Soch, and Carlos Ernesto Ibarra Corrales, charged with dereliction of duty, according to Guatemala’s Prensa Libre.
The military personnel reportedly stole 55 rifles, 14,420 rounds of 5.56 mm ammunition, 92 magazines of 35 rounds each, 19 magazines of 20 rounds each, and three grenade launchers, “which were allegedly moved from the arms warehouse to the outside for illicit sale.”
The Ministry of Defense stated that it will keep its internal control mechanisms active to prevent similar incidents.
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