The dispute over control of drug dealing has intensified the violent events in Guatemala, according to the National Civil Police (PNC). The authorities link this struggle with the discovery of at least 23 bodies wrapped and abandoned during July 2026as well as with attacks that they attribute to structures interested in dominating territories and drug distribution points.
According to the director of the PNC, David Custodio Boteothe profits generated by retail drug sales have displaced the extortion as one of the main sources of income for some criminal structures. According to police investigations cited in the report, several victims are detained, tortured to obtain information and strangled before their bodies are abandoned on public roads.
The case was analyzed during the program Direct Impactof Guatevisionon July 23, 2026. Roxana Sánchez, communicator and journalist; Héctor Ulises Pérez, emergency doctor and psychiatrist, and Luis Fernando Urbina, publicist and communicator, addressed the increase in violent events, the existence of a growing market for drugs, the exposure of children and adolescents and the precautions that families can take against the risks on the streets.
Consumption supports the drug dealing market
Roxana Sánchez pointed out that the growth in drug sales reveals the existence of consumers and considered that this situation should alert families, churches and authorities.
“There is a market, because, if not, they would not be selling this type of drugs. There are people who arrive”said Sánchez.
The communicator added that the expansion of drug dealing can be interpreted as a sign of increased consumption in different age groups.
“That is an alarm bell for parents, for the Church, for the Government itself. Drug use is increasing among young people, among children, among adults”, he expressed.
Sánchez also indicated that some people may join these illicit activities due to the lack of job opportunities or because they consider them a quick way to obtain money. He clarified, however, that economic difficulties do not lead all people to participate in crimes.
Experts warn about the social acceptance of drug trafficking
Héctor Ulises Pérez described drug dealing as part of a broad social problem, related to national and international interests and the cultural normalization of certain behaviors associated with drug trafficking. “On a cultural level, drug traffickers are not seen badly”said Pérez.
The doctor and psychiatrist explained that part of the population associates these figures with flashy vehicles, clothing, money and musical expressions that can contribute to presenting that lifestyle as desirable.
“There are many sectors, a large population, that see well the clothing and culture in general of this type of people.”, he noted.
The analysis agreed that the growth of drug market It does not depend only on those who distribute them, but also on demand. For this reason, the participants raised the need to pay attention to the environment of minors, identify changes in behavior and explain to them the risks linked to consumption and violence.
They warn about a trend of increasing violence
Luis Fernando Urbina highlighted that, as of July 23, the report of at least 23 bodies located during the month was equivalent to an average of close to one per day.
The publicist and communicator maintained that an increase in violent events had been observed since previous years and that this trend could later be transferred to the death figures.
“We saw an upward trend in violent events, not yet in deaths, but we talked about how, if this trend continued, deaths would begin to increase as well.”, he expressed.
Urbina attributed part of the situation to deficiencies in the management of citizen security. This statement corresponds to his analysis during the program and was not accompanied, in the information provided, by a response from the Ministry of the Interior.
“We, as Guatemalans, have to take care of our loved ones, explain to children what the risks are on the street and take precautions when we go out.”, he stated.
Night operations and searches in prisons
Given the increase in violent events, Boteo announced that the PNC will request support from the Guatemalan Army to carry out night operations. The authorities also plan to continue searches in prisons, from where, according to the Police, leaders of criminal structures transmit instructions to commit crimes.
The PNC indicated that several bodies have been abandoned between midnight and 5 hoursmainly in points of the department of Guatemala. According to Boteo, a good part of the victims would be related to zones 3 and 7 of the capital, although this information is part of the ongoing investigations.
He Public Ministry (MP) reported 44 complaints related to deceased people whose bodies appeared in bags, sacks or barrelsbetween January 1 and July 21, 2026.
Of that total, 31 cases correspond to the department of Guatemala; two to Chimaltenango, two to Quiché and two to San Marcos. The MP registered one case in each of the departments of El Progreso, Sacatepéquez, Escuintla, Santa Rosa, Zacapa, Huehuetenango and Izabal.
The figures from the PNC and the MP correspond to different periods and classifications: the police report mentioned during the program refers to bodies located during July, while the data from the Public Ministry covers complaints received between January and July 21, 2026.
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