Guatemala limits state of prevention against organized crime to six departments

Guatemala City, Mar. 19 (EFE).- The Guatemalan government extended the state of prevention to combat organized crime for another 15 days on Thursday, although the measure will now be limited to six of the Central American country’s 22 departments (provinces).

According to the government decree published in the Diario de Centro América (official gazette) and signed by President Bernardo Arévalo de León during a Cabinet meeting, the measure remains in effect in the department of Guatemala (which includes the capital), Escuintla (south), Izabal (Caribbean), Petén (north), and San Marcos and Huehuetenango, which border Mexico.

CAMERA: MARIANO MACZ

STATEMENTS BY MARCO ANTONIO VILLEDA, MINISTER OF THE INTERIOR.

TRANSLATION:

The reason why the state of prevention has also been implemented or prioritized in border departments such as San Marcos, Huehuetenango, Izabal, and Petén is that, first and foremost, we want to maintain the state of prevention in these border departments to prevent the infiltration of criminal groups linked to drug trafficking.

In these regions, given that they are border departments, but also because we have noticed, particularly in the departments of Petén and Izabal, an increase in drug trafficking-related activity, we have made significant arrests, especially in the department of Izabal, where just a few weeks ago there was a major drug seizure.

We have also identified some drug trafficking-related activities in the department of Petén.