In Central America’s Northern Triangle, organized crime has permeated national politics by corrupting local governments. This series presents the stories of three mayors in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, exploring the links between power, drug trafficking rings, gangs and corruption.
Investigation Chapters
Guatemala Mayor ‘Tres Kiebres’: The Art of Being ‘3 Times Broken’
The atmosphere was light, almost jovial, as Ipala’s Mayor Esduin Javier turned to the next item on the agenda. The issue was what the people at the municipality’s monthly town hall called a “Boulevard.” Boulevard was perhaps a strong word for most places, but in this town of 20,000, the 12-meter wide street with a…
A Honduras Political Clan and Its Criminal Fiefdom
It was around midnight that police in a rural area of the northern department of Olancho first heard the distinctive buzz of a low-flying aircraft. Night duty officers in three municipalities called their division chief and told him the plane was flying “without lights.” At 1:15 a.m., the police chief of one of the rural…
Symbiosis: Gangs and Municipal Power in Apopa, El Salvador
Stories such as that of the former mayor of the El Salvador municipality of Apopa, José Elías Hernández, or “Old Timer” as the gangs knew him, are increasingly common in this Central American country marked by dark alliances between gangs and politicians.
