Guatemala organized crime and institutional security

In early August 2026, the Coordinating Committee of Agricultural, Commercial, Industrial and Financial Associations (Cacif) issued a warning regarding the potential infiltration of organized crime into Guatemala’s 2027 general elections. Cacif president Carlos Arias Bouscayrol stated that criminal groups are seeking political influence and emphasized the need to restore public confidence through cooperation with the Supreme Electoral Tribunal and citizen participation in vote-receiving boards.

By late August, the National Civil Police (PNC) reported a shift in criminal tactics. Due to increased law enforcement pressure in slums and vulnerable settlements, gangs are migrating into residential areas and condominiums. The PNC noted that these groups are using “testaferros” (front persons) with clean records to rent or purchase properties, which are then converted into safe houses and illicit operational centers.

In response to these shifts, security forces have begun targeting criminal surveillance networks. In Guatemala, the PNC has issued alerts regarding the use of unauthorized cameras in municipalities such as Santa Catarina Pinula, where illegal networks were used by criminal groups to track neighbors and anticipate security patrols. Similar operations were conducted in Honduras, where the Military Police of Public Order (PMOP) removed over 100 illegally installed surveillance cameras in San Pedro Sula and La Lima. Authorities stated these devices were placed on public utility poles to allow criminal organizations to monitor the movements of police and military personnel, effectively “taking away the eyes” of these structures.