Guatemalan soldier killed in Alta Verapaz drug raid

A Guatemalan soldier was killed and several security personnel were injured during a narcotics operation in the Alta Verapaz region. The deceased has been identified as Military Police Corporal Erick Ezequiel Chávez García.

The operation was conducted by the Inter-institutional Center Against Narcotic Activity (CICNAG), involving the Guatemalan Army, the National Civil Police (PNC), and the Public Ministry. The mission aimed to locate and destroy illegal plantations of marijuana, coca, and poppy used by transnational organized crime groups to fund their operations.

During the search and eradication tasks, security units were attacked by suspected members of criminal organizations. In addition to the death of Corporal Chávez García, the incident left one soldier and one police officer wounded, while two other police agents were temporarily detained during the confrontation.