HomeNewsBriefReport Highlights Increasing Sophistication of MS13 in Guatemala
BRIEF

Report Highlights Increasing Sophistication of MS13 in Guatemala

GUATEMALA / 17 SEP 2015 BY DAVID GAGNE EN

Members of the MS13 in Guatemala are now investing their earnings from extortion in legal enterprises, according to a new report, although it remains unclear to what extent the street gang has become involved in international drug trafficking.

According to an investigative report by Prensa Libre, the MS13's evolution as a criminal enterprise in Guatemala has been "gradual but constant" since the gang first consolidated its presence in the country in the early 2000s. Although the gang has long relied on extortion as a source of illicit revenue, members are now reportedly investing this money in legitimate businesses, such as local shops and fleets of motorcycle taxis. 

"They want to stop being gangsters in order to become businessmen and entrepreneurs," said Juan Pablo Rios, an adviser to Guatemala's Ministry of the Interior. 

According to the report, the gang uses motorcycle taxis to blend in with legitimate businesses, as well as to collect extortion money, move drugs and weapons, and monitor police patrols. 

An intercepted telephone call between two gang leaders discussing an international drug shipment has also worried authorities the MS13 may be participating in the transnational drug trade. However, security officials have yet to verify the extent of the gang's involvement in large-scale drug trafficking, according to Prensa Libre. 

InSight Crime Analysis 

The MS13's strategic investments into legal businesses reflects the gang's growing sophistication in Guatemala. Since at least 2013, there have been indications the MS13 and their principal rival, the Barrio 18, have been moving towards a more vertical and well-defined leadership structure. However, the MS13 leadership in Guatemala reportedly runs a more disciplined operation than their Barrio 18 counterparts, ordering their subordinates to not commit indiscriminate killings or get tattoos on highly visible parts of the body. 

SEE ALSO: MS13 News and Profile

However, it is worth noting that the MS13's leap into transnational drug trafficking has yet to be proven, as Prensa Libre reported. And previous reports of the MS13 in Guatemala integrating with the feared Mexican drug gang the Zetas were found to be unsubstantiated

Nonetheless, the Prensa Libre report is a reminder that the MS13 poses a serious security threat in Guatemala, which often gets overlooked due to the gang's more visible presence in neighboring El Salvador and Honduras. El Salvador is considered the spiritual headquarters of both the MS13 and Barrio 18, and the gangs recently garnered international headlines there by imposing a bus strike that paralyzed capital city San Salvador for days. 

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 / 15 JUN 2022

El Salvador has arrested over 40,000 alleged gang members. This seems shocking but it is not without precedent in the…

ELITES AND CRIME / 22 APR 2021

Former Guatemalan president Jimmy Morales' dismantling of an anti-corruption commission has come back to haunt him -- as prosecutors are…

ELITES AND CRIME / 18 MAY 2022

Guatemala has reappointed Attorney General Consuelo Porras for a second term despite her track record as a shield for top…

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela Coverage Continues to be Highlighted

3 MAR 2023

This week, InSight Crime co-director Jeremy McDermott was the featured guest on the Americas Quarterly podcast, where he provided an expert overview of the changing dynamics…

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela's Organized Crime Top 10 Attracts Attention

24 FEB 2023

Last week, InSight Crime published its ranking of Venezuela’s ten organized crime groups to accompany the launch of the Venezuela Organized Crime Observatory. Read…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime on El País Podcast

10 FEB 2023

This week, InSight Crime co-founder, Jeremy McDermott, was among experts featured in an El País podcast on the progress of Colombia’s nascent peace process.

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Interviewed by Associated Press

3 FEB 2023

This week, InSight Crime’s Co-director Jeremy McDermott was interviewed by the Associated Press on developments in Haiti as the country continues its prolonged collapse. McDermott’s words were republished around the world,…

THE ORGANIZATION

Escaping Barrio 18

27 JAN 2023

Last week, InSight Crime published an investigation charting the story of Desafío, a 28-year-old Barrio 18 gang member who is desperate to escape gang life. But there’s one problem: he’s…