Police are on the trail of gang members who extort and steal in zones 9 and 10 of the capital

November has been violent in various areas of zones 9 and 10 of Guatemala City. This Saturday, November 19, two more criminal acts occurred in which at least one person died at the hands of alleged assailants and extortionists.

Investigations that are being carried out by detectives from the Criminal Investigation Directorate (Deic) of the National Civil Police (PNC) show that it is possibly a coordinated attacks by a criminal structure linked to the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and which is extorting businesses, transporting and stealing luxury vehicles.

The Minister of the Interior, Napoleón Barrientos, assured that These cases will not go unpunished and that they are behind those responsible.

“We want to provide security to Guatemalans and we have strengthened our investigations to dismantle these criminal gangs. that they are frightening the population”, assured the head of the Interior.

He assured that he could not provide more details about it because the investigations are ongoing. and soon they will have results to capture the criminals.

Of course, he confirmed has requested videos from the Municipal Traffic Police (PMT) of Guatemala City to identify those responsible for these criminal acts.

Amílcar Montejo, spokesman for the capital’s PMT, confirmed this point and said that Between November 10 and 19, various armed events have occurred that have claimed the victim of drivers of light vehicles and buses.

“November and December are months in which criminal acts increase, in the prelude to Christmas and New Years,” he said.

“During the last ten days we have registered several criminal acts on Reforma Avenueon 7th avenue zone 9, El Trébol and Liberación boulevard”, added the spokesperson.

According to Montejo, the videotaped information has been requested by the Public Ministry (MP) and the PNC and it has been delivered to them through official channels.

“It is not that the events that have happened are seen directly, but they ask for data from nearby points that serve them in their line of research. We support them to eradicate these criminal acts ”, he pointed out.

6a. Av. and 8a. zone 9 street mobilized @BVoluntariosGT from Estación Central TUM assisted a person with a nervous breakdown when hearing firearm detonations. pic.twitter.com/jij5nehLbK

– Volunteer Firefighters (@BVoluntariosGT) November 19, 2022

under fire

The Volunteer Firefighters reported this Saturday, November 19, that at around 7:00 a.m. there was an armed attack against the driver of a white sedan on 2nd street and Reforma Avenue, zone 9. It is presumed that two subjects on a motorcycle shot at the driver of about 35 years.

Minutes later, on 6th avenue and 8th street, zone 9, another incident was recorded. This time subjects on motorcycles shot at a branch of the Isopan bakery. There were no fatalities or injuries and the Volunteer Firefighters only attended the workers due to a nervous breakdown.

These two events are added to the other that occurred on Friday, November 18, at 2nd avenue and 1st street in zone 10.

As well as others that have happened in previous days in that same demarcation such as the one on the night of Thursday, November 10, on Reforma avenue and 3rd street, zone 10.

That day, agents from police station 13 arrived at the scene at 6:13 p.m., and verified that a luxury car was left with several firearm projectile impacts.

The Ministry of the Interior explained that time that the alleged perpetrators of the attack were a woman and a man who were on foot and began to attack with bullets to the members of a 2012 model Porsche Cayenne van.

The case against the tourist bus on Friday, November 18, was similar. The authorities’ hypothesis is that two criminals were stationed near the Ministry of Defense facilities and when the bus passed they shot at it.

In transport glass, at least ten bullet holes that did not reach anyonebut they did cause nervous breakdown on several of the occupants.

Members of the Metal Requiemone of the most recognized metal rock bands from Guatemala who was traveling to Honduras for a concert that had to be canceled due to the situation.

Attacks investigated by MP and PNC

• Reforma Avenue: two armed attacks and two armed robberies.
• El Trébol: 2 bus assault alerts.
• Bulevar Los Próceres: an armed attack inside a bus with a balance of two deaths
• 6th avenue 8th street zone 9: an armed attack against a business.
• 7th avenue 3rd street zone 9: assault on a car, with balance of vehicle embedded in Transmetro curbs.
• Armed attack on 2nd street and Reforma avenue, zone 9. Driver of a dead vehicle.