Investigation and Analysis of Organized Crime

InSight Crime

Guatemala

Guatemala Profile

Guatemala's criminal organizations are among the most sophisticated and dangerous in Central America. Some of them have been in operation for decades. They include former members of the military, intelligence agencies and active members of the police. Transporting illegal drugs north comprises the bulk of their activity, but organized crime in Guatemala is also involved in marijuana and poppy cultivation, as well as human trafficking, kidnapping, extortion, money laundering, arms smuggling, adoption rings, eco trafficking and other illegal enterprises. They often work with groups from Mexico, Colombia and other Central American nations and they have the potential to expand and command other Central American nations' underworlds. Read more

News

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Guatemala Police Case Stirs Up Dark Memories

Authorities in Guatemala have arrested seven individuals, among them four...

Groups

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Barrio 18

The 18th Street Gang, also known as "Barrio 18," is one of the largest youth...

Personalities

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Horst Walther Overdick, alias “El Tigre”

Horst Walther Overdick, alias "El Tigre," was one of the biggest drug...

Groups

Barrio 18

The 18th Street Gang, also known as "Barrio 18," is one of the largest youth gangs in the Western Hemisphere. Like its better-known rival, the Mara Salvatrucha (MS13), the Barrio 18 has cells operating from Central America to Canada, including the United States. With thousands of members across hundreds of kilometers, and interests in a number of different illicit activities, Barrio 18 is one of the more significant emerging criminal threats in the region. Still, it is questionable how far its different units are coordinated across borders, or even within the same city.

MS13

The Mara Salvatrucha, or MS13, is perhaps the most notorious street gang in the Western Hemisphere. While it has its origins in the poor, refugee-laden neighborhoods of 1980s Los Angeles, the gang's reach now extends from Central American nations like El Salvador and through Mexico, the United States, and Canada. They rob, extort and bully their way into neighborhoods and have gradually turned to transnational crimes such as human smuggling and drug trafficking. Their activities have helped make the Northern Triangle -- Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras -- the most violent place in the world that is not at war. In October 2012, the US Department of the Treasury labeled the group a "transnational criminal organization," the first such designation for a US street gang.

Mendozas

Leones

Lorenzanas

CIACS

Personalities

Horst Walther Overdick, alias “El Tigre”

Juan Alberto Ortiz Lopez, alias “Juan Chamale”

News

Brief / December 2, 2020

Guatemala Police Case Stirs Up Dark Memories

Authorities in Guatemala have arrested seven individuals, among them four police officers, accused of belonging to a criminal organization dedicated to arms...

Analysis / November 25, 2020

Contentious Guatemala Budget Sees Frustrations Boil Over

Protestors flooded the streets of Guatemala after the congress approved a budget for 2021 that, reduced funds for the judicial branch by half, while increasing...

Brief / November 4, 2020

How President Donald Trump Has Impacted Organized Crime in Latin America

When it comes to combating organized crime and drug trafficking, US President Donald Trump has chosen to strongarm his Latin American counterparts rather than...

Analysis / October 30, 2020

Is Washington Taking Corruption in Guatemala Seriously Again?

In what appears to be a show of support from Washington for Guatemala’s anti-corruption fight, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the visa of Felipe...

Analysis / October 23, 2020

Latin America’s History of Dirty Cops, Ministers and Generals

There is one element that has proven vital to the operational success of international drug trafficking organizations the world over, including Latin America, it is...

Brief / October 21, 2020

Guatemala Prosecutors Link Dirty Money to Former Minister

Prosecutors in Guatemala say they have linked a multimillion-dollar cash seizure to a high-ranking minister that served under former President Jimmy Morales,...

Analysis / October 14, 2020

Drug Flights Climb Again in Honduras and Guatemala

The number of destroyed illegal airstrips and the volume of seized cocaine in Honduras this year are set to surpass 2019 figures, indicating...

Analysis / October 14, 2020

Guatemala’s Attorney General Lashes Out Against Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office

Guatemala's attorney general has given the go-ahead to new legal actions against the public prosecutor that has headed Guatemala's most important graft...

Brief / September 29, 2020

How Organized Crime Networks Are Using Drones to Their Advantage

Criminal groups increasingly deploying drones -- for purposes ranging from surveillance to reported armed attacks of rivals -- has provoked a strong government...

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