The National Civil Police (PNC) identified a criminal structure that operates between kilometers 110 and 145 of the route to the Pacific, where it demands money, under threats, from heavy transport pilots, mainly from drivers of vehicles with foreign license plates.
The first investigations by the Specialized Criminal Investigation Division (DEIC) and the General Directorate of Civil Intelligence (Digici) indicate that the criminal gang is monitoring heavy transport vehicles to intercept them and charge them an extortionate “fee” in exchange for allowing them to continue their journey.
The fee for transporters is US$250, about Q1,800 for each trailer. This modality was evidenced in a video spread on social networks, in which a man with his face covered demands payment from a pilot, who responds that he only has Q1,500.
The Police reported that they have identified several members of the structure, including the alleged leaders, who would have remained in Mexico and would have links to a drug trafficking cartel.
He added that the gang operates locally and has not identified other similar events in the country. In addition, they are investigating whether the criminals are linked to drug trafficking and other crimes.
According to authorities, the way this criminal organization operates in Escuintla and Suchitepéquez bears similarities to criminal groups in Mexico, where transporters are charged to allow them to travel on certain routes.
In Mexico, car exporters who travel by land pay between $US100 to $US150 for each vehicle so that drug traffickers allow them to continue their trip.
They investigate the death of a Honduran pilot
The authorities are also investigating whether the death of a Honduran heavy transport pilot is related to the activities of this criminal structure in Escuintla and Suchitepéquez.
The victim was identified as Jimmy Ronald Martínez Paz, 41 years old, of Honduran nationality. According to the preliminary police report, he was shot on June 13, 2026, at approximately 3 a.m., at kilometer 136.5 of route CA-2, in San Antonio, Suchitepéquez.
Martínez Paz was driving a truck bound for Honduras. According to investigators, the pilot was part of a group of four transporters who maintained telephone communication while traveling. His colleagues reported that they heard gunshots during the call and subsequently lost contact with him.
The preliminary investigation establishes that one of the hypotheses points to an assault. According to the police report, the attackers tried to force the pilot to stop driving to take his belongings or the vehicle. Two firearm casings were located at the scene and it was determined that the victim’s phone was stolen.
The second line of investigation arises from the testimonies of other transporters, who consider that the crime could be related to the extortion scheme reported on that section of the route to the Pacific.