The Municipal Prosecutor’s Office of the Public Ministry of San Juan Sacatepequez recognizes serious limitations in investigating the so-called “security groups” or “hooded groups” in the communities of San Pedro and San Juan Sacatepéquez, due to the anonymity with which they act and the lack of technical evidence, such as voice recordings, that would allow those responsible to be identified.
According to an MP source, many victims They identify alleged aggressors solely by voice; However, this statement requires comparative expert reports and records obtained at the time of the events, which complicates the judicialization of the cases.
In parallel, the Public Ministry (MP) already receives complaints against these groups for crimes such as threats, home invasions and even robberies.
How do they operate?
The pattern is recurring: hooded subjects They arrive at private homes, often due to debt or obligation conflicts, and warn people that they must leave the community or meet demands within certain deadlines.
According to the Ministry of the Interior, from January 1 to March 31, 2026, 130 complaints in the municipalities of San Pedro and San Juan Sacatepéquez related to these groups.
In the report there are complaints for the crimes of theft of weapons, disappearance of a man, two for extortion of businesses, 79 for extortion of residences, one for homicide with a blunt weapon, eight for homicide with a firearm, two for injuries with a knife, six for injuries with a blunt weapon, six for injuries with a firearm, four for injuries due to beating, 18 for robbery and theft of motorcycles and two complaints for theft and theft of vehicles.
The problem is not isolated, according to the MP. In San Juan Sacatepéquez, authorities identify at least a group organized by community, which could represent a structure of more than a dozen cells that operate by sectors and shifts, making their identification and control difficult.
These groups have also interfered in official proceedings. An assistant prosecutor indicated that it has been reported that justice system workers have been intercepted, questioned and even threatened when trying to enter certain areas, under warning of retaliation if they carry out actions against local residents.
The authorities recognize that access to these territories requires large-scale operationswith police and military accompaniment.
Previous experiences show that, even with significant deployments, security conditions remain complex.
In addition, relief bodies such as Volunteer Firefighters have been subject to intimidation, especially in areas with high pyrotechnic production, where they are prohibited from documenting emergencies through photographs or videos.
Little control by the authorities
Although it was recently announced a prevention status and the National Civil Police (PNC) warned that hooded people who do not identify themselves will be detained; prosecutors consider that the measure could be insufficient if it does not translate into effective presence and sustained territorial control.
In terms of criminal incidence, the assistant prosecutor explained that San Juan Sacatepéquez registers a greater number of complaints than San Pedro Sacatepéquez and is perceived by authorities as one of the most critical focuses in terms of violence and informal community control.
On April 7, in the jurisdiction of San Pedro Sacatepéquez, the PNC and the MP investigated an armed incident in which four people were reported dead, five injured, weapons seized and the involvement of organized residents of the municipality.
The authorities’ hypotheses indicate that crimes related to drug trafficking could have been the cause of what happened.