HomeNewsBriefBarrio 18 Extortion Scheme Casts Doubt on El Salvador Govt Security Narrative
BRIEF

Barrio 18 Extortion Scheme Casts Doubt on El Salvador Govt Security Narrative

BARRIO 18 / 19 JUN 2017 BY LEONARDO GOI EN

The Barrio 18 gang in El Salvador allegedly engaged in large-scale extortion of a community water management project, underscoring flaws in the government's claims that security is improving across the country. 

Members of the Barrio 18 gang allegedly extorted $5,000 dollars per month from a community water management project in the town of San Pedro Perulapán, in El Salvador's central department of Cuscatlán, reported La Prensa Gráfica.

Sources who spoke with La Prensa Gráfica on condition of anonymity said the scheme was run by Rudy Eleazar Rodríguez, alias "Concha," the alleged leader of the Barrio 18 group that controls the area.

Instead of reporting the threats, the community decided to obey the gang's orders, and the project's service fees were raised from $6 to $9 per month.

"Denouncing [these extortions] is like asking to be killed," a local told La Prensa Gráfica. 

Indeed, in November 2016 and April 2017, two men whom authorities believed were late on making extortion payments were assassinated, allegedly at Concha's instruction.

InSight Crime Analysis

The extortion scheme set up by the Barrio 18 in San Pedro Perulapán suggests that gangs in El Salvador continue to wield significant control in many areas of the country, despite a heavy-handed, years-long campaign aimed at wiping out these criminal groups.

The fact that the Barrio 18 was able to extort several thousand dollars per month from a community project underscores the group's territorial strength, and the community's decision to pay the gang instead of denouncing its threats also highlights a serious lack of confidence in law enforcement institutions.

SEE ALSO: El Salvador News and Profiles

El Salvador's murder rate has indeed been declining, a trend that the administration of President Salvador Sánchez Cerén has linked to the implementation of "extraordinary measures" designed to disrupt gang operations both within the country's prisons and on the street. However, there may be an alternative explanation for the drop in homicides; gang leaders have attributed the decline to an order given to their rank-and-file to stop killings towards the end of March 2016.

There have been other worrying signs of the gangs' continued strength in the face of the long-running crackdown, including a recent spate of apparently coordinated assassinations targeting family members of El Salvador's security forces. The revelation of the extortion scheme in Perulapán serves as another sign that the government's pronouncements about improving security should be viewed with some skepticism.

share icon icon icon

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

What are your thoughts? Click here to send InSight Crime your comments.

We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article.

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

Related Content

BARRIO 18 / 1 MAR 2022

Fired prison employees in El Salvador have claimed they witnessed negotiations among government officials and imprisoned gang leaders, adding weight…

BRAZIL / 25 NOV 2022

Failing prison systems and entrenched corruption mean mega-prisons holding tens of thousands won't solve insecurity in Latin America.

BOLIVIA / 3 MAR 2023

As the CITES treaty hits 50, we take a look at its successes, failures, and future challenges in reducing the…

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

All Eyes on Ecuador

2 JUN 2023

Our coverage of organized crime in Ecuador continues to be a valuable resource for international and local news outlets. Internationally, Reuters cited our 2022 Homicide Round-Up,…

WORK WITH US

Open Position: Social Media and Engagement Strategist

27 MAY 2023

InSight Crime is looking for a Social Media and Engagement Strategist who will be focused on maintaining and improving InSight Crime’s reputation and interaction with its audiences through publishing activities…

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela Coverage Receives Great Reception

27 MAY 2023

Several of InSight Crime’s most recent articles about Venezuela have been well received by regional media. Our article on Venezuela’s colectivos expanding beyond their political role to control access to…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime's Chemical Precursor Report Continues

19 MAY 2023

For the second week in a row, our investigation into the flow of precursor chemicals for the manufacture of synthetic drugs in Mexico has been cited by multiple regional media…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime’s Chemical Precursor Report Widely Cited

THE ORGANIZATION / 12 MAY 2023

We are proud to see that our recently published investigation into the supply chain of chemical precursors feeding Mexico’s synthetic drug production has been warmly received.