“There is no longer a single prisoner left in the ‘El Infiernito’ prison”; the prison “belongs to the country again”, and “we will rebuild it, to create a true maximum security prison”, said Interior Minister Francisco Jimenez.
A total of 225 prisoners, members of the same gang, were removed the day before Saturday from a Guatemalan prison which they had placed largely under their control, having at their disposal televisions, refrigerators, farmed animals, and even a “call center” to coordinate extortion and other offenses outside the walls of the prison.
“There is not a single prisoner left in the prison ‘El Infiernito'” after the mass transfer of members of the Barrio 18 gang, guarded by some 400 policemen; the prison “belongs to the country again”, and “we will rebuild it, to create a real maximum security prison,” said Interior Minister Francisco Jimenez via X.
Other persons deprived of their freedom will be taken there: they will be “prisoners, not vacationers”, he added.
According to visuals released by the minister, some prisoners had air conditioners, televisions and refrigerators at this detention center in the province of Esquintla, about 70 kilometers south of the capital, chickens were raised, and crocodiles were even found in a pond.
“We will find all the hiding places where they stored money, weapons, mobile phones, even if we have to knock down all the walls and dig up the floors. Then, we will create a real maximum security prison, with strict controls”, Minister Jimenez insisted.
In an earlier police raid on the “Infiernito” (“Little Hell”) prison, a “call center” with mobile phones and an internet connection was dismantled.
The Barrio 18 and Mara Salvatrucha gangs battle for control of areas where they extort merchants and other businessmen. Authorities acknowledge that most phone calls to coordinate extortion are made from inside prisons.
The mass transfer of Barrio 18 members was announced three days after Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo said parts of the capital were being “held hostage” by the feared gangs.
In Guatemala of approximately 17.3 million inhabitants, 4,361 homicides were committed in 2023, or the murder rate reached 25 per 100,000 inhabitants. About half were attributed to gang activity primarily involved in drug trafficking.
Source :Skai
With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
