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
Honduras sees ongoing killings of land defenders and attacks on press, warns NGO
The Association for Participatory Citizenship (ACI PARTICIPA) denounced on Thursday that killings of land defenders and attacks aimed at silencing the press continue in Honduras.
“We continue to see murders of defenders of land and territory, as well as aggressions to silence the press. In 2024, there were 490 attacks and aggressions that constitute human rights violations,” said ACI PARTICIPA’s executive director, Hedme Castro, during the presentation of the 2024 Report on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders in Honduras.
Castro noted that the aggressions range “from attempts on lives, threats, harassment, intimidation, and smear campaigns, which have become very frequent, to obstruction of work, surveillance, and criminalization.”
She highlighted that, although only seven defenders were killed in 2024 compared to 24 in 2023, “last year we saw a significantly high number of women murdered, and cases of missing children.”
Moreover, Castro criticized the authorities for failing to address the violence. “There is no response from the authorities to reduce the violence in the country; in fact, I believe that the ‘fathers of the nation’ (members of Parliament) are not setting the right example, and the situation in the Legislative branch is actually fueling violence,” she added, referring to frequent violent incidents in Congress.
The ACI PARTICIPA report also notes that the government led by President Xiomara Castro has made “an important effort over the past two years to improve citizens’ access to basic rights, helping to cushion the effects of economic deterioration, although a decent standard of living has yet to be achieved for the majority of Hondurans.”
Central America
Daniel Ortega’s last historic sandinista ally detained in Managua
Former Sandinista revolutionary commander and presidential economic adviser Bayardo Arce Castaño was arrested on Thursday in Managua for alleged irregular transactions involving state-owned assets, according to local media reports.
The arrest was carried out by agents from the Special Operations Directorate of the Police, who raided his residence in the southern part of the Nicaraguan capital. The Attorney General’s Office (PGR) is investigating Arce for “transactions and/or negotiations” that, according to authorities, do not comply with current legal standards.
Arce, 76, was one of the nine historic commanders of the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) who led the overthrow of dictator Anastasio Somoza in 1979. Since 2007, he had served as the economic adviser to dictator Daniel Ortega, and was the last of the historic commanders still aligned with the regime.
The Attorney General’s Office accused Arce of contempt after he refused to appear for questioning about properties registered in his name. Authorities allege that Ricardo Bonilla, Arce’s assistant, was also involved in questionable financial dealings and was jailed after failing to comply with a summons.
Central America
Guatemala transfers top gang leaders to maximum security prison after funeral home massacre
At least 10 top leaders from the two main gangs operating in Guatemala were transferred in recent hours to a high-security prison, where they are now in isolation, following the murder of seven people at a funeral home on Tuesday night.
Guatemala’s Interior Minister Francisco Jiménez announced Thursday through official communication channels that the inmates moved are leaders of the Barrio 18 and Mara Salvatrucha gangs, who, in his words, “believed they were untouchable.”
The prisoners were taken from several facilities to the Renovación I Maximum Security Detention Center, inaugurated under the current administration of President Bernardo Arévalo de León and located in the department of Escuintla, about 50 kilometers south of Guatemala City.
The transfer operation involved more than 800 National Civil Police (PNC) officers, who initially faced resistance from the inmates, Jiménez added.
The isolated Barrio 18 leaders include Aldo Duppie Ochoa Mejía (alias El Lobo), Wilder Rodríguez Aguilar, Mayro De León Hernández, Jarvin Leonel Itzoy Cruz, and Manuel de Jesús Rivas Granados.
Also transferred were Jair de León Hernández (alias El Diabólico), Amílcar Galileo Torres Rosales, Nixon Bantes González, Ronal Bosbeli Choc Alemán, and Ángel Gabriel Reyes Marroquín.
The move came after a massacre at a funeral home in the Guatemalan capital, allegedly carried out by members of Mara Salvatrucha while a wake was being held for a supposed Barrio 18 member murdered on Monday. The attack left seven dead and 12 injured.
Jiménez emphasized that the violence in Guatemala is driven by territorial disputes over street-level drug sales and warned: “We will not allow more victims to be created by this gang confrontation.”
Honduras sees ongoing killings of land defenders and attacks on press, warns NGO
Trump to build $200M ballroom at the White House by 2028
Daniel Ortega’s last historic sandinista ally detained in Managua
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
-
Central America3 days agoCosta Rica issues Yellow Alert and halts water activities over tsunami currents
-
Central America3 days agoFuneral turns tragic as armed attack leaves seven dead in Guatemala City
-
Central America4 days agoPeru’s ambassador highlights “historic bonds” with El Salvador on Independence Day
-
International5 days agoFour dead, thousands flee as floodwaters ravage Northern China
-
International5 days agoMultiple fatalities reported in Nevada Resort shooting as Police detain gunman
-
International4 days agoU.S. and China push for extension of tariff truce after “constructive” talks in Sweden
-
International3 days agoThree salvadorans in Florida sentenced in $146 million construction tax fraud scheme
-
International3 days agoKremlin hails preparedness after Kamchatka quakes leave no casualties
-
International4 days agoTrump administration opens civil rights probe into duke university over alleged bias
-
International5 days agoFive security guards killed in mass shooting at Bangkok Market
-
International4 days agoMedvedev warns Trump after new Ukraine ultimatum: ‘Russia is neither Israel nor Iran’
-
International5 days agoNetanyahu cites historic success against Iran as he pledges relentless Gaza campaign
-
International5 days agoZelensky praises Trump’s ‘clear stance’ on Russia as ultimatum deadline tightens
-
International3 days agoU.S. launches ads urging undocumented migrants to self-deport via CBP Home App
-
International4 days agoArgentina requests reentry into U.S. Visa Waiver Program during DHS chief’s visit
-
International5 days agoVatican reports $72M profit in 2024, boosted by real estate and investments
-
International5 days agoHepatitis D declared carcinogenic as WHO urges action to end global crisis
-
International5 days agoPeru’s president under fire as she promises crackdown on organized crime
-
International4 days agoPetro accuses Marco Rubio of undermining colombia’s sovereignty over Uribe comments
-
Central America1 day agoDaniel Ortega’s last historic sandinista ally detained in Managua
-
Central America1 day agoHonduras sees ongoing killings of land defenders and attacks on press, warns NGO
-
International1 day agoTrump to build $200M ballroom at the White House by 2028
-
Central America1 day agoGuatemala transfers top gang leaders to maximum security prison after funeral home massacre