The Zetas in Guatemala

GUATEMALA / 8 SEP 2011

The Zetas, Mexico’s most feared and violent criminal organization, have moved operations to Guatemala, penetrating local police forces and the military. They have made alliances with locals and are redefining organized crime in Central America.

Chapter 1

Part I: The Incursion

GUATEMALA / 8 SEP 2011

On Tuesday, May 12, 2011, some 10 SUVs and pickups with tinted windows pulled up to a local gasoline station in Coban, the capital of Alta Verapaz state, north Guatemala.

Chapter 2

Part II: The Modus Operandi

GUATEMALA / 8 SEP 2011

It is not a fancy video production. It begins, “Horse Races…Coban, Guatemala…September 15, 2010.” Two men -- one wearing a jockey’s uniform, the other in street clothes -- ready their…

Chapter 3

Part III: A Guatemalan Response?

GUATEMALA / 8 SEP 2011

On December 18, 2010, a local soccer league in Coban held its championship match. One team featured Alta Verapaz’s governor at the time, Jose Adrian Lopez. The other team featured…

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