Authorities are investigating two groups of kidnappers operating in Huehuetenango and Petén. According to initial investigations, their modus operandi is similar to that of criminal groups from the 1990s.
According to the Public Ministry (MP), these gangs first monitor their victims, who are farmers, small and medium-sized businesses; later, they kidnap them and demand money in exchange for their release. The amounts range from Q50,000 to Q2 million, approximately.
According to the MP’s Kidnapping Prosecutor’s Office, during the year —2024— they received 70 complaints of kidnappings, although they determined that 25% of these were false. In the other cases, the prosecutor’s office reported that it is working to identify the criminals.
As of September 11, the National Civil Police (PNC) reported that 39 people had been arrested based on these complaints.
Freddy Santos, prosecutor against kidnappings for the MP, said that the highest incidence of kidnappings this year has occurred in Petén, Huehuetenango, El Progreso and Izabal.
“These criminal phenomena are being evaluated to determine whether it is a structure that is dedicated to studying the victims and then kidnapping them, or whether they are simply, as we have seen previously, people who are dedicated to committing crimes, robbery, extortion and who later, as they see that this criminal activity is working for them, they then move on to kidnapping,” said Santos.
Authorities are investigating the possibility that these criminals were previously employees of landowners.
“That is what has happened lately in these years, in which they are not structures as such, but rather they mutate and then they build one case, two, three and then that little group is shut down,” said the prosecutor of the MP.
The profiles of the victims in Santa Rosa, Petén, Huehuetenango, Quetzaltenango and San Marcos are similar, according to the investigative body.
“Businessmen who are dedicated, for example, to the sale of sugar, basic grains and scrap metal. In the interior there are also cattle breeders or farmers who are dedicated to some type of crop or animal trade,” explained Santos.
The prosecutor exemplified that in January of this year there was a case of a kidnapping in which the victim’s family paid US$250 thousand.
Santos mentioned that to date kidnapping gangs operating in San Marcos, Santa Rosa, Sacatepéquez, Quetzaltenango and Izabal have been dismantled. Three of these gangs were led by Rigoberto Antonio Morales Barrientos, alias Rigorrico, who has been in prison for 26 years. Despite being in prison, Morales Barrientos “advises” criminal groups to kidnap people. Investigations determined that, through text messages or phone calls, he intervenes in ransom negotiations.
“He —Morales Barrientos— is serving several sentences for kidnapping, and while in prison he has formed his groups outside, and yes, they continue with the kidnapping in Quetzaltenango and Izabal. He has been negotiating from prison. So, it is a very important issue that has drawn our attention in recent years,” Santos said.
Investigated
Morales Barrientos was a member for more than a decade of the now defunct Guardia de Hacienda, a civilian police force under the jurisdiction of the Police.
In 1970, the institution fought against smuggling and tax evasion.
Following the peace accords, Morales led the Black August criminal gang and created criminal structures that committed kidnappings, extortion and murders in Guatemala, according to authorities.
Morales has been in prison since 1998, although he escaped twice. The first time was in May 1998, but he was arrested eight months later in Quetzaltenango; the second time was in June 2001, together with 77 inmates in the maximum security prison El Infiernito, Escuintla.
The sentences
Morales Barrientos was sentenced in February 1999 to 30 years in prison for possession and use of illegal weapons and aggravated robbery.
In November 2001, Morales Barrientos received a new sentence of 50 years in prison for the kidnapping of Bailey Beltetón, and is currently under investigation for coordinating criminal groups from prison.
Express mode
The Kidnapping Prosecutor’s Office is also conducting other investigations against pirate taxi drivers and some who operate through platforms, events that have increased since 2023, according to the authorities.
From June 2023 to August 12, 2024, the MP opened 96 files for kidnappings that have been reported in the capital. In 2022, seven cases were reported, the following year 55 and in the eight months of 2024, 34 were reported.
The PNC indicated that these incidents increased after the restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Authorities clarified that, according to statistics, 92 of the victims are women.
“These kidnappings began to take place again after the pandemic. We must remember that many of the bus drivers were left without work at one time and many of them had ties to gangs and criminal groups. These individuals chose to work in this new transportation service – in pirate taxis – which is the most common at this time, with an irregular service and without authorization,” stressed David Custodio Boteo, director of the PNC.
Police say that criminals offer women taxi services outside nightclubs, and once on board they demand money under threats of death. Victims have to pay from Q100 to Q10,000 to be released, but some are raped and killed after paying cash.
Authorities added that operations are being carried out in Mixco, Guatemala, Villa Nueva and Villa Canales, places where more cases have been reported. Those who commit these “express kidnappings” have links to gangs, and the victims have been afraid to report them, the police institution said.
“Many of the pilots have no criminal record, but they do have ties to criminal groups, but since there is no flagrant crime or an investigation per se, what is being documented is all of these pilots,” reiterated the director of the PNC.
“Women do not report them, because some types of violations have occurred in these vehicles, but many women choose not to report them,” said Boteo.
Regulate taxis
Boteo said the goal is to get the “pirate taxis” out of circulation with the support of the municipalities, in order to reduce criminal acts.
“We really need all the municipalities, through the municipal judges, to coordinate with us and be able to make joint plans to remove these types of transporters from circulation, as they have committed many criminal acts, which is constant,” said the police director.
PNC investigations have shown that there are kidnappings between gang members, to “settle scores, to torture them and later kill them.” The bodies are abandoned in public places.
They said there is an investigation against the gangs, which are allegedly involved in criminal acts such as assaults, murders and kidnappings in Mixco. The criminal structure was named by the Public Prosecutor’s Office as “Sción”.
Lack of transportation
Walter Menchú, a researcher at the National Economic Research Center, said that kidnapping groups have become specialized and that victims are at a disadvantage because they do not “follow security protocols.”
He added that authorities must implement preventive measures to avoid such incidents.
Menchú said that the MP and the PNC have technological tools to locate victims and take action against criminals when a kidnapping is reported.
“The difference between the nineties and today is that there are now many more technological tools that investigators should use to at least track where calls come from, whether they have been contacted via email or social media. Many people, although they may be anonymous, sometimes have a digital footprint that can be tracked on the network, on the Internet; so, they can collect more information that was not available 15 or 20 years ago,” said the researcher.
Menchú said that express kidnappings can be prevented with awareness campaigns, better public transport or control by the authorities over taxi drivers of different platforms.
He commented that it is a task of various authorities, which must include everything from prevention to criminal investigation to dismantle the structures that are emerging again.
“The issue of municipalities controlling taxi licenses, who are the ones driving and who are operating without a license, because those who operate without a license cannot be traced. When one of these events occurs, the person responsible cannot be found,” Menchú emphasized.
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#types #kidnapping #authorities #investigating #affect #women #farmers #microentrepreneurs
– What historical patterns in kidnapping cases are evident in Huehuetenango and Petén?
Table of Contents
Kidnapping Investigations in Huehuetenango and Petén: A Resurgence of 1990s-style Criminal Groups
Authorities in Guatemala are currently investigating two groups of kidnappers operating in Huehuetenango and Petén, with a modus operandi eerily similar to that of criminal organizations from the 1990s. According to initial investigations, these gangs first monitor their victims, who are mostly farmers, small and medium-sized business owners, before kidnapping them and demanding ransom in exchange for their release. The amounts demanded range from Q50,000 to Q2 million, approximately.
The Public Ministry’s Kidnapping Prosecutor’s Office has received 70 complaints of kidnappings this year, although 25% of these were determined to be false. In the other cases, the prosecutor’s office is working to identify the criminals. As of September 11, the National Civil Police (PNC) reported that 39 people had been arrested in connection with these complaints.
The highest incidence of kidnappings this year has been reported in Petén, Huehuetenango, El Progreso, and Izabal. Prosecutor Freddy Santos noted that the authorities are evaluating whether these criminal phenomena are part of a structured organization that studies and targets victims or simply a group of individuals engaged in various criminal activities who have moved on to kidnapping.
Investigations Suggest Possible Connection to Landowners’ Employees
The authorities are also investigating the possibility that these criminals were previously employees of landowners. Prosecutor Santos explained that these criminal groups often mutate and evolve, building on previous cases before being shut down. The profiles of the victims in Santa Rosa, Petén, Huehuetenango, Quetzaltenango, and San Marcos are similar, with businessmen involved in the sale of sugar, basic grains, and scrap metal, as well as cattle breeders and farmers, being targeted.
Notorious Criminal Leader Rigoberto Antonio Morales Barrientos
One of the most notorious figures linked to these kidnapping gangs is Rigoberto Antonio Morales Barrientos, alias “Rigorrico,” who has been in prison for 26 years. Despite being incarcerated, Morales Barrientos has been found to be “advising” criminal groups on kidnapping and ransom negotiations through text messages and phone calls. Three gangs led by Morales Barrientos have been dismantled, and he is currently under investigation for coordinating criminal groups from prison.
Morales Barrientos was a former member of the now-defunct Guardia de Hacienda, a civilian police force that fought against smuggling and tax evasion in the 1970s. He later led the Black August criminal gang and created criminal structures that committed kidnappings, extortion, and murders in Guatemala. Morales has been in prison since 1998, although he escaped twice, and is currently serving a 50-year sentence for the kidnapping of Bailey Beltetón.
Consequences and Sentence
The resurgence of 1990s-style criminal groups and the involvement of notorious figures like Morales Barrientos highlight the need for continued efforts to combat kidnapping and organized crime in Guatemala. The authorities’ investigations and efforts to dismantle these criminal structures are crucial to ensuring public safety and bringing perpetrators to justice.
the investigations into the kidnapping gangs operating in Huehuetenango and Petén are ongoing, and the authorities are working to identify and bring to justice those responsible for these heinous crimes. The connection to notorious criminal leaders like Morales Barrientos serves as a reminder of the complex and evolving nature of organized crime in Guatemala.
Keyword-rich metadata:
Title: Kidnapping Investigations in Huehuetenango and Petén: A Resurgence of 1990s-style Criminal Groups
Description: Authorities in Guatemala are investigating two groups of kidnappers operating in Huehuetenango and Petén, with a modus operandi similar to that of criminal organizations from the 1990s.
* Keywords: kidnapping, Huehuetenango, Petén, Guatemala, criminal groups, Rigoberto Antonio Morales Barrientos, organized crime.
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Guatemalan Authorities Crack Down on Kidnapping Gangs in Huehuetenango and Petén
In a concerted effort to combat the rising incidence of kidnappings in Guatemala, authorities have launched an investigation into two groups of kidnappers operating in Huehuetenango and Petén. The modus operandi of these criminal groups bears a striking resemblance to that of criminal organizations from the 1990s.
The Kidnapping Epidemic
According to the Public Ministry (MP), these gangs first monitor their victims, who are predominantly farmers, small and medium-sized business owners; later, they kidnap them and demand money in exchange for their release. The ransom amounts range from Q50,000 to Q2 million, approximately.
In 2024, the MP’s Kidnapping Prosecutor’s Office received 70 complaints of kidnappings, although 25% of these were found to be false. In the remaining cases, the prosecutor’s office is working to identify the criminals. As of September 11, the National Civil Police (PNC) reported that 39 people had been arrested based on these complaints.
Hotspots of Kidnapping Activity
Freddy Santos, prosecutor against kidnappings for the MP, revealed that the highest incidence of kidnappings this year has occurred in Petén, Huehuetenango,