Demonstrations by transporters and citizens in rejection of the increase in fuel prices have taken to the streets in different parts of the country during the last two days. The Specialized Criminal Investigation Division (Deic) stated that some of the blockages recorded in the metropolitan area They present a different pattern and would be linked to members of Barrio 18.
According to the National Civil Police (PNC), authorized taxi drivers participated in these blockades, pirate taxi drivers and other people allegedly linked to Barrio 18. He added that the Deic investigations, supported by the analysis of video surveillance cameras, established the alleged mobilization of members of Barrio 18, who took advantage of the discontent over the increase in fuel prices to alter public order.
In addition, the PNC identified that the participants covered their faces to avoid being recognized. Pirate taxis circulated with their license plates covered, while authorized taxi drivers hid the unit’s identification number.
The police stressed that these events were not recorded in all protests, since there were also demonstrations by transporters and citizens who exercised their right to demonstrate without registering violent incidents, although with the closure of roads.
Coordinated blockades
The Deic reported that the participants began to arrive at the different blocking points around 8:00 a.m. and remained in place until approximately 1:00 p.m.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the objective was to generate road chaos and provoke clashes with security forces, a pattern that, according to investigators, bears similarities to the blockades registered in March 2025 against the mandatory vehicle insurance.
Riots during evictions
In San Miguel Petapa, agents of the National Civil Police (PNC) used tear gas to disperse a group of pirate taxi drivers who were blocking the road.
Meanwhile, in Villa Hermosa, several protesters threw stones at police officers and vehicles that were trying to circulate through the sector. During the incidents, a woman was injured.
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PNC prioritized dialogue to avoid confrontations
The general director of the National Civil Police (PNC), David Custodio Boteo, reported that the operations made it possible to identify that several of the participants in the blockades were unauthorized taxi drivers.
“At the moment there have been several of these blockades, in which we, as the National Civil Police, through the Traffic Department and the Special Police Forces, have managed to detect that they are drivers of unauthorized taxis or, as they are commonly called, pirate taxis,” he commented.
Boteo explained that the authorities recognize that the protesters argue their disagreement with the increase in fuel prices; However, he said that it is a global phenomenon.
The police chief pointed out that the institution coordinated with the Human Rights Ombudsman’s Office and the departmental governors to prioritize dialogue and avoid confrontations.
“There should be some type of dialogue, a dialogue table, and not reach extreme consequences that practically prohibit the circulation of many motorists,” he said.
Boteo recalled that during the day there was already an incident between protesters and motorists who were trying to continue their journey.
“We already had an incident on the Raúl Aguilar Batres road where some motorists wanted to pass the blockade and, however, the people who were blocking came into conflict with them,” he said.
The director of the PNC added that the institution’s priority is to avoid attacks between citizens and guarantee both the right to demonstrate and free movement.
“What we least want is for some type of violent aggression to happen between Guatemalan citizens and, therefore, dialogue is what is going to prevail, as long as the constitutional rights of both those who want to circulate to exercise free movement and those who demonstrate peacefully are guaranteed,” he explained.