Several armed men intercepted a picop at the entrance to San Miguel Dueñas, Sacatepequezand shot repeatedly at its three occupants. The attack, which occurred on the night of July 18, left two men dead and one injured, while the attackers escaped in two vehicles towards the National Route 14 and Old City.
The Public Ministry reported that prosecutors located 159 ballistic clues and three cell phones in the attacked vehicle. The authorities also requested recordings from security cameras and interviewed witnesses to try to identify those responsible and reconstruct the route of the cars used in the ambush.
During the program Direct Impactof Guatevisionit was highlighted that the attack shows the advance of criminal structures towards municipalities considered quiet, the use of long weaponsthe coordination of the attackers and the institutional limitations to prevent and investigate events of this nature.
PNC investigates drug dealing dispute
The National Civil Police (PNC) The main hypothesis is that the ambush would be related to a territorial struggle over the distribution of retail drugs and the collection of extortions.
According to police investigations, the dispute began in the neighborhood The Roosterzone 3 of the capital, and would have extended to zone 6 and later to Sacatepéquez. The PNC points out that the Mara Salvatrucha seeks to displace the structure known as the Caraduraslinked, according to the authorities, to members of Barrio 18.
The identification of these groups is included because it is part of the police investigation line. The PNC must still determine the individual participation of its members and establish who ordered and carried out the attack.
The deceased were identified as Cristián Alexander López Pérez40 years old, alias Tiny, who was driving the vehicle, and Hector David Noriega Sotoj33, who was traveling in the back seat. The wounded man is Alexandro José Galindo Arellano38, transferred to the Pedro de Bethancourt National Hospital, in Antigua Guatemala.
According to the cited records According to the authorities, López Pérez and Galindo Arellano had records related to extortion, weapons or drug-related crimes. The MP also reported that Noriega Sotoj had a current arrest warrant requested by the Women’s Prosecutor’s Office.
These records are part of the investigations, but do not replace the investigation into the authorship and motive of the ambush.
“They are highly trained people capable of killing.”
Program analysts pointed out that the attack did not show the characteristics of an improvised event. The attackers used two vehicles to block the path of the pick-up truck, descended with long weapons, shot at specific targets and escaped via a previously identified route.
“They are not amateurs,” said one of the participants when referring to the precision of the shots, the weapons and the resources used by the attackers.
Another analyst maintained that those responsible demonstrated an operational capacity superior to that of common criminals: “They are highly trained people capable of killing. We are not talking about any thief who is going to take our cell phone on a corner.”
The analysis coincides with the evidence collected by the MP. The 159 ballistic elements located reflect the number of shots fired, although the expert opinion will determine the number and type of weapons used.
“Sometimes, when we talk about drug dealing, we imagine that what is being handled is very little. We are talking about hundreds of millions of quetzales per month, per year,” said one of the analysts.
Security, investigation and impunity
Analysts noted that San Miguel Dueñas is located in a tourist area near Antigua Guatemala and that the limited police presence can facilitate the operation of armed groups.
“One patrol is not enough for an entire town,” said one of the participants, who added that the lack of constant surveillance exposes residents and visitors to violent events.
“What about the kids who were in the park?” asked one of them when he noticed that a stray bullet could have hit residents or passers-by.
Another participant maintained that the response should not be limited to increasing patrols, since it is impossible maintain police in every point of the territory. In his opinion, the State needs to strengthen criminal investigation and reduce impunity.
“There must be a Public Ministry that has the capacity to resolve all cases so that this feeling of impunity does not exist,” he said.
Analysts considered that capturing or killing members of these groups does not alone dismantle their structures, because command positions can be occupied by other people.
The PNC and the MP continue with the proceedings to establish the identity of the attackers, determine the origin of the weapons and confirm whether the ambush is linked to the dispute over the drug dealing and extortion.
The investigation must also clarify whether the attack in San Miguel Dueñas It represents a territorial expansion of the criminal struggle indicated by the PNC.
*Stay up to date with the Now newsletter. Key information at the moment it happens. Subscribe here.