El Triunfo prison construction reaches 12% progress in Guatemala

Construction of the El Triunfo maximum security prison in Morales, Izabal, has reached 12% progress. According to Vice Minister of Defense Jorge Mario Lemus, current work focuses on preliminary planning and earthmoving operations across approximately 1,000 square meters.

The project involves roughly 150 workers and 65 pieces of machinery, including excavators and dump trucks. Following a previous suspension due to legal injunctions, construction resumed in July after the Constitutional Court lifted the stay. The Ministry of Defense aims to hand over the completed facility to the Ministry of the Interior in November 2027.

Interior Minister Marco Antonio Villeda highlighted the urgent need for the facility, noting that Guatemala has not built a new prison in nearly 40 years. He reported a severe capacity crisis, stating that the country's 24 existing penitentiaries hold nearly 24,000 inmates despite having a capacity for only 7,000. Villeda emphasized that the new prison is a strategic move to regain control over criminal structures operating in the Caribbean region.