International
Guatemala transfers 225 prisoners to regain prison control in the south of the country
Guatemalan security forces transferred 225 people who were imprisoned in the prison called “El Infiernito”, located about 60 kilometers south of the capital of the Central American country, as part of the plans to convert it into a “high security” prison and thus regain control.
The Guatemalan Minister of the Interior (Interior), Francisco Jiménez, indicated that the eviction was carried out with the aim of “recovering and converting the prison into a high-security prison” and stressed that in the operation they found a pool of crocodiles.
According to the same source, the prison, which is known as “The Hell” but whose official name is Maximum Security Center Canada, will be remodeled soon.
More than 400 agents of the National Civil Police participated in the operation to transfer 225 inmates, mostly gang members, as confirmed by the authorities.
Jiménez explained in a message on his official channels that the transfer lasted four hours and that several illegal objects have initially been found in the place, including a “pool” of “crocodiles.”
The official said that the “main objectives” of the operatives were “the recovery” of the penitentiary center, which “had been constituted into a prison that had nothing to do with maximum security.” In addition, they also transfer inmates from the “Mara 18” gang to other prison centers to have better control over the criminal organization.
According to Jimenez, the findings inside the prison showed “that there was total freedom inside this prison.”
“We found a farm of farm animals, which were probably used by the same inmates to feed themselves. But the most serious thing is that we find in a crocodile pool, a very serious issue because it shows the lack of control of this prison,” he concluded.
The operatives arrive a week after the murder of 18-year-old Guatemalan singer and influencer Jorge Pop, a crime that dismayed the Central American country and that is initially attributed by the authorities to the “Mara 18” gang.
According to various studies, thousands of businesses in Guatemala suffer monthly extortion by gang members, mostly from the different prisons that are under the supervision of the Ministry of the Interior.
That is why Jiménez indicated that they are looking for “mechanisms” so that prisoners cannot “charge phones” or have access to illegal objects.
International
Authorities capture CJNG financial chief in international airport operation
A man identified as the main financial operator of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) was arrested Thursday at Mexico City’s international airport, authorities reported.
The individual, named by Mexican media as Óscar Antonio Álvarez, was apprehended during an operation involving the army, navy, National Guard, police, and the attorney general’s office, according to a joint statement.
Álvarez is considered the primary financial operator of a criminal group originating in Jalisco, and the capture took place at Benito Juárez Airport as he arrived on a flight from Barcelona, Spain.
Authorities stated that Álvarez faces charges of organized crime and money laundering, specifically for receiving and transferring illicit funds. His work with the CJNG reportedly included purchasing properties and managing businesses in the tequila and livestock sectors.
According to El Universal, Álvarez was directly under the command of Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, “El Mencho”, the cartel’s top leader, for whom the U.S. offers a $15 million reward.
The CJNG, which operates throughout Mexico and in various parts of the world, was designated earlier this year as a “foreign terrorist organization” by the U.S. government.
Álvarez was handed over to the federal public prosecutor to determine his legal situation, the report added.
International
Jair Bolsonaro sentenced for leading armed criminal plot after 2022 election loss
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, 70, has been sentenced for leading an armed criminal organization that attempted to cling to power after losing the 2022 elections to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
The alleged coup plot, which reportedly included a plan to assassinate Lula, was not carried out due to lack of support from the military leadership.
By a four-to-one vote of the judges overseeing the case, seven co-defendants, including former ministers and military chiefs, were also convicted.
“A criminal armed organization was formed by the defendants, who must be sentenced based on the factual circumstances I consider proven,” said the final judge to cast a vote, Cristiano Zanin.
Bolsonaro, who has been under house arrest since August, did not attend the court hearings, citing health issues.
Reacting on X, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, the former president’s son, said: “They call this a trial a process whose outcome everyone already knew before it began.”
One of the first international reactions came from the White House. Former U.S. President Donald Trump called the sentence “very surprising,” while Senator Marco Rubio, U.S. Secretary of State, stated that the United States will “respond accordingly” to the “unjust” ruling.
International
Poland invokes NATO Article 4 after russian drone incursion
The violation of Polish airspace by Russian drones on Wednesday triggered the most serious clash between Russia and NATO since the start of the war in Ukraine, prompting Poland to invoke Article 4 of the NATO Treaty, which calls for consultations among allies.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk addressed Parliament on Wednesday, describing an unprecedented “aggression” in which at least 19 Russian drones breached Polish airspace, creating a situation that the Prime Minister described as “the closest to an open conflict since World War II.”
Speaking at the start of an extraordinary Council of Ministers session, Tusk stated that “this is the first time Russian drones have been shot down over the territory of a NATO member state, and that is why all our allies are taking the situation very seriously.”
Although he affirmed that “there is no reason to claim that we are in a state of war,” he labeled the incidents as “a large-scale provocation” and ordered the invocation of NATO’s Article 4 to call for consultations with allied nations.
Tusk also noted on X (formerly Twitter) that he had received “not only expressions of solidarity with Poland but, above all, concrete proposals to support the country’s air defense” during discussions with European leaders throughout the day.
The Polish leader specifically mentioned conversations with the leaders of the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, and the Netherlands—Keir Starmer, Giorgia Meloni, Friedrich Merz, and Dick Schoof—along with French President Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.
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