The recent confirmation of the existence of a criminal organization operating in the southern region of Mexico, reportedly comprising both Mexican and Guatemalan members, has brought renewed attention to the findings of a 2023 report by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR). This report warns of the extensive reach of criminal groups in Guatemala, highlighting that these organizations may consist of tens of thousands of members.
In the report titled “Northern Central America: Organized Crime and the Rights of Girls, Boys, Adolescents, and Young People: Challenges and State Actions,” the IACHR estimated that criminal groups and gangs in Guatemala might have up to 20,000 members. This estimate underscores the growing concern over the magnitude of these organizations and their increasing collaboration with Mexican criminal networks, leading to the formation of binational entities such as the newly recognized “Chiapas and Guatemala Cartel.”
This cartel, reportedly backed by criminal structures in both Mexico and Guatemala, has already gained the attention of federal institutions, including Mexico’s Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection. Research centers like the Colegio de la Frontera Sur have also documented its activities.
The IACHR report provides a broader perspective on the scope of criminal organizations in Central America. According to the report, as of 2021, there were approximately 60,000 members of “maras” and gangs in El Salvador, operating in at least 247 of the country’s 262 municipalities. In addition, these groups reportedly had the support of around 500,000 people. In Guatemala, the report estimated between 10,000 and 20,000 gang members in 2020, with Honduras hosting between 25,000 and 30,000 members, primarily operating in Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula, and La Ceiba.
The growing presence of these criminal organizations in Guatemala, with tens of thousands of members already engaged in activities such as drug trafficking and human trafficking, poses a significant risk to Mexico. The “Chiapas and Guatemala Cartel” is particularly concerning as it appears to focus on these exact criminal activities, leveraging the established networks in both countries.
The report emphasizes the devastating impact these criminal groups can have on communities, particularly in regions characterized by limited access to basic services, a lack of opportunities, and minimal state presence. These areas become vulnerable to the control of criminal organizations, which impose a parallel system of rules that often lead to severe violations of human rights, including the rights to life, personal liberty, security, and property.
In both Guatemala and Mexico, these criminal groups often begin recruiting new members at a young age, assigning them to carry out tasks such as extortion, illegal arms circulation, and even murder. The IACHR report cites data provided by the Guatemalan government indicating that between January 2021 and March 2022, 125 adolescents were sanctioned for criminal activities related to organized crime, with extortion being the most common offense.
The existence of the “Chiapas and Guatemala Cartel” was officially acknowledged by the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection on July 2, 2024. The recognition came in the wake of a massacre in Chiapas, where the perpetrators, allegedly linked to the Sinaloa Cartel, identified their victims as members of the Chiapas and Guatemala Cartel. The Attorney General’s Office of Chiapas has since launched an investigation to identify those responsible for the massacre, during which 19 bodies were discovered.
On the same day, the Guatemalan government announced that seven of the victims were likely Guatemalan nationals, a fact that was confirmed shortly after. This confirmation further illustrates the binational nature of the Chiapas and Guatemala Cartel.
The Mexican authorities’ “Information Card” released on July 2 included a specific mention of the newly established cartel, noting, “The first investigations report a confrontation between the criminal groups of the Sinaloa Cartel and the aforementioned Chiapas and Guatemala Cartel, who are fighting for criminal control in that border area.”
