Arrests in high-profile crimes in Guatemala

On September 7th-8th, gunmen opened fire on the people of San Jose Nacahuil outside Guatemala City. Eleven people died in the attack. At first, authorities suspected that youth who were denied alcohol or young gang members were involved in the massacre. Community representatives said that the police might have been involved as a patrol car had passed through approximately one hour prior to the shootings. Days later, other Guatemalans and internationalistas said that the shootings might have been related to the community's opposition to mining and that we should not swallow the authorities' version of the events hook, line, and sinker.

Well, on Tuesday, Guatemalan authorities arrested eight suspected gang members, perhaps nine, thought to be members of the "Crazy Rich" cell of the 18th Street Gang for the murders. They are still searching for four more suspects. Apparently the Crazy Rich cell operates in the area and authorities still suspect that the shootings took place because the bar's owner refused to pay protection money. According to investigators, the gang's leaders housed in a Zone 18 prison ordered the gang to kill those who were behind on or outright refused to pay extortion money. They sprayed the area with bullets to send a message to the entire population.

It's still possible that political motivations were behind the killings, gangs have been known to carry out contract killings, but for now it appears that the motivation was financial. The police car that had passed through San Jose Nacahuil was not involved in the killings as the car was in Zone 6 at the time of the shooting according to its GPS.

Tuesday's arrests follow last Friday's arrest of Eduardo Villatoro Cano by Mexican authorities. "Guayo Cano" is the alleged head of a drug trafficking ring accused of massacring eight policemen in Salcaja, Quetzaltenango this summer.

On Thursday morning, Guatemalan authorities rescued forty-two victims of trafficking, including thirty-seven minors. Two men were arrested for enticing the victims, mostly women, to travel to the capital for work and then forcing them to work from 6 am until 11 pm in tortilla and grocery stores.

Guatemala remains a country with too much crime and too many violent deaths. After three straight years of decreases in the homicide rate, the rate might increase slightly in 2013. Much depends on the last three months of the year.

However, the work of CIGIG, Claudia Paz y Paz, Yasmin Barrios, and countless other people, Guatemalan and foreign, have done a very good job of turning around public security institutions in the last six years or so. Their record is not perfect but there is no doubt that there are more police, prosecutors, and judges who are capable of pursuing and exacting justice in 2013 Guatemala. These high-profile arrests are evidence of their success.

Should Paz y Paz win the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, she surely deserves it. So do most others who are nominated. However, it would also be a recognition of the hard, dangerous work carried out by thousands of Guatemalans in some of the worst conditions in the Western Hemisphere.