Guatemalan gangsters turn prison into resort? Police: Demolish all
According to an Agence France-Presse report on June 2, Guatemalan police transferred more than 200 gang members from a prison on the 2nd. Previously, gangsters raised chickens in the prison, ran a call center for crime, and had a beautiful view of a crocodile lake from the prison.
Guatemalan officials said that about 400 police officers participated in the operation and transferred 225 members of the "18th Street Gang" from prison. These criminals had previously been able to use "luxuries" such as color TVs and refrigerators in prison.
"Prisons are once again in the hands of the state," Guatemalan Interior Minister Francisco Jimenez posted on social media.
He promised the facility would be demolished and rebuilt into a "true maximum security prison." "This is a prison, not a resort," Jimenez swore.
Official photos of the prison show that inmates can enjoy air conditioning. The prison involved is located in Escuintla, about 70 kilometers south of the capital Guatemala City.
The last time local police raided the prison, they destroyed a makeshift "call center." Criminals use this call center to carry out extortion and issue criminal orders.
In 2023, 4,361 people died from criminal violence across Guatemala, equivalent to 25 deaths per 100,000 residents, half of whom died from gang fighting and drug trafficking.
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