HomeNewsBriefGuatemala Struggles to Prosecute Extortion in Capital
BRIEF

Guatemala Struggles to Prosecute Extortion in Capital

EXTORTION / 28 JUN 2016 BY LUIS FERNANDO ALONSO EN

A recent report on extortion in Guatemala indicates that the criminal practice is mostly an urban phenomenon perpetrated by gang members who act with little fear of consequence. 

The report by Movimiento Pro Justicia, an umbrella organization for civil society groups, analyzed complaints of extortion in Guatemala from 2013 through April of 2016.

The study found that 10,664 complaints of extortion were filed with the Attorney General's Office, with the majority of the complaints coming from the three heavily urbanized departments of Guatemala, Mixco, and Villa Nueva. The department of Guatemala, home to the capital Guatemala City, registered 5,248 complaints, followed by Mixco with 1,391 and Villa Nueva with 1,382.

Few cases result in convictions. Of 5,248 complaints registered in Guatemala City, only 517 individuals were convicted of extortion during the same time period. Accounting for approximately 49 percent of all complaints, Guatemala City provides a good example of the overall environment of impunity surrounding these crime. Even after they are arrested, the relative lack of control within prisons allows criminals to extort victims from behind bars utilizing cell phones.

According to the prosecutor's office, criminals use threats or perpetrate acts of violence to intimidate victims before handing over a cell phone through which the extortion demands are delivered by a third party. Public transportation and small businesses are often the most heavily affected sectors. While gangs are often times behind extortion, there are also many cases of other groups and individuals running extortion schemes.

InSight Crime Analysis

Massive underreporting has traditionally made quantifying the crime of extortion in Guatemala difficult.

The decentralized and, at times, informal network structure of gang cliques may be one reason that authorities  are finding it difficult to adequately prosecute extortion with their limited budgets.

   SEE MORE: Guatemala News and Profiles

Annual losses from extortion in Guatemala have been estimated at $61 million. Extortion is not unique to Guatemala and is pervasive in all three Northern Triangle countries, with annual losses valued at $400 million in El Salvador and $200 million in Honduras. These three countries represent the epicenter of criminal extortion in Central America. The practice has an adverse effect on the economy and degrades citizen security.

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

EXTORTION / 13 JUL 2022

Scammers in Mexico have yet again evolved their modus operandi by using express credit apps to extort users and drain…

ELITES AND CRIME / 1 DEC 2021

On July 5, 2019, one of Guatemala’s deadliest and most infamous corruption cases landed in the murky world of the…

ELITES AND CRIME / 1 DEC 2021

As day broke in Guatemala City on August 31, 2016, a judge named Carlos Ruano anxiously awaited a meeting with one of Guatemala’s most powerful…

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.