The ports of Guatemala were exposed to the transfer of synthetic drugs during 2024, the first year of the administration of President Bernardo Arévalo, in accordance with the annual report of the United States Department of the United States that formulates the International Strategy for Narcotics Supervision and collects the scenarios of the region in the fight against drug trafficking.
“The archaic controls of the imports of chemical substances and the porosity of the borders make the country vulnerable to drug trafficking and the diversion of synthetic drugs and chemical precursors,” says the study that reviews global actions against drug trafficking for 2024.
Although Guatemala inspects the containers that enter their ports of the Atlantic and the Pacific “it has rarely identified narcotics or illicit chemical precursors,” according to the report that observed some “signs of improvement” in 2024 with significant seizures in air and maritime ports.
An US task force began its operations in Puerto Quetzal, on the Pacific coast, in 2023, to improve container inspection and since then 2.4 metric tons of narcotics have been seized, so the experience could be extended to other ports, according to the study.
In addition to the vulnerability in the ports, the report indicates a decrease in aerial transfer and highlights the function of canine units in the seizure of illicit, even fentanyl.
On October 2, Guatemala hosted the first high level of security between the United States and the Guatemalan government. Subsequently, in November, the country was evaluated in matters of port security, and the results indicated that these areas continue to be vulnerable to the transfer of chemical precursors for the elaboration of synthetic drugs.
“In November 2024, the United States completed an integral analysis of capacity gaps, which identified vulnerabilities and strengths at Guatemala entry points. The United States and Guatemala agreed to work bilaterally to strengthen these points against drug trafficking, ”says the Report.
Since last Friday, a position was requested from the Ministry of Social Communication of the Presidency of Guatemala, but at the end a contrast on the evaluation in the ports and the fight against drug trafficking was not obtained. Initially they offered contact with the National Port Commission and then with the Ministry of the Interior. On the night of March 16, the Secretariat sent six pages describing the border security study under the CGAP+methodology.
Regarding the actions that the Executive coordinates to reduce the vulnerabilities in the ports, it was reported on the development of inter -institutional strategic plans to improve security in load inspection and reduce contamination risks by criminal organizations.
It was also indicated that an inter -institutional government group has been formed to strengthen the inspection of chemical precursors in the ports. In addition, the approval of a new regulation of chemical precursors is in the final phase, which will allow to update the lists of controlled substances according to international standards.
Less air transfer
The analysis carried out by the forces of the United States order and Guatemalan officials, according to the report, concluded in a series of factors that could influence the continuous decrease of flights that transported illicit.
These factors include:
- The investigations and operations of the forces of the US order, which interrupted the illegal sale.
- Distribution networks of more efficient posters, which reduced the participation of intermediaries in Guatemala and increased the direct flights of Colombia to Mexico.
- Improvements in the methods of surveillance, prevention and detection by the forces of order in Guatemala.
Document data reveals that five unauthorized aircraft were identified in Guatemalan airspace between January and September last year.
“None landed in Guatemala, so no seizures were made. The Guatemalan Army and the General Subdirectorate of Anti -Narcotics Information Analysis destroyed seven clandestine landing clues in the first nine months of 2024, mainly in the north and northwest of the country, ”says the report.
Canino support
The report emphasizes that part of the illicit destroyed in Guatemala were located by the K9 units, canines trained for the detection of chemical substances used in the production of narcotics.
The United States contributed to the training process of canine units in the region in August last year, training dogs for the location of fentanyl.
“The Guatemalan Canine Units participated in 43% of the narcotics seizures, equivalent to 4.6 metric tons, in the first nine months of 2024,” the report said.
Also, in September 2024, the authorities seized 300 grams of cocaine, 600 doses of Tusi (A mixture of synthetic drugs also known as “pink cocaine” and 400 doses of methamphetamine during a random inspection of vehicles at the Rio Dulce control post.
The report also highlights the extradition of 14 people linked to drug trafficking cases in the United States, among them a high -level drug trafficker linked to the Sinaloa cartel and a Guatemalan ex -deputy arrested when he was still held.
To prepare the report, the United States supervised the destruction of chemical precursors that have been seized in Guatemala, such as the elimination of 3 thousand metric tons of chemical precursors, being only small reserves subject to judicial measures. The destruction was carried out through a chemical incinerator donated by the United States government.
The report details some of the most important seizures of precursors in Guatemala during the past year. Among these, the location of 250 kilograms of solid chemicals and the seizure of 356 gallons of chemicals on June 11 stands out. The seizure of precursors for fentanyl also stands out on November 23.
Government actions
On the subject, the presidency was consulted since Friday, March 14. On March 16, around 9 pm, they sent a document that details some of the actions they drive to improve the control of the ports and thus avoid the traffic of precursors.
“The Ministry of the Interior has carried out several actions to articulate efforts and combat this scourge,” says the document.
Among these actions are:
- Strategic visits to the Aliais countries: in February 2025 the Guatemalan authorities held high -level meetings with the Department of National Security, INL, HSI, CBP and the DEA of the United States of America. “This approach allowed us to consolidate our alliances and reinforce the common objectives in the fight against drug trafficking and border security. Bilateral cooperation with the United States is essential for the success of our operations, it is important to ensure that this relationship continues to give concrete results,” says the authorities.
- Preparation of inter -institutional and interagential strategic plans: according to the Government of Guatemala, these “will allow an integrated alert generator profile, which would cause reduce the risks of contamination of charges by criminal organizations, improve inspection mechanisms, among others.” Which leads to handle information safely and confidentially. “
- Creation of an inter -institutional group (GI). This is forming for the Mingob, Minsal, SAT, Sectcatid, and Mindef. The integration in ports, “allows the inspection of precursor imports and the immediate action from the competence of the institutions that make up the GI.” The document says. This group, the authorities point out, “has received high -level technical training, for the location, interdiction and detection of substances, chemical precursors, synthetic drugs and fentanyl.”
- Approval of a new regulation of chemical precursors, which will also allow the update of the lists of substances controlled in the country and aligned to the new control trend worldwide
- Signature of inter -institutional cooperation agreements with the entities involved in the issues related to the prevention and combat of drugs and narcotics to unite and coordinate efforts and strategies to address the problem of illicit traffic of them in the ports of the country, as well as signing of agreements with the port of Guatemala
- The early alert -ialert system. According to the Guatemala Government, this arises as a mechanism for the management of information associated with the detection and/or appearance of new psychoactive substances -nsp-, emerging drugs, the identification of changes in patterns and market trends in psychoactive substances. “On February 4 of the current year, the first ordinary session of the Technical Subcommittee of the Early Warning System -Siert was held- which constitutes a significant advance because the first restricted national alert was built,” says the document.