Guatemala City, by Julio Morales -AGN- The Ministry of the Interior -Mingob- through police and investigators from different specialized units of the National Civil Police -PNC- conducted a raid at the Granja Modelo de Rehabilitación Penal Cantel in Quetzaltenango.
The Minister of the Interior, Francisco Jiménez, announced that 500 police officers participated in the raid against extortion.
The following personnel executes the interinstitutional operations:
- 500 PNC officers
- 75 elite penitentiary officers
- 2 K-9 explosives teams and the General Sub-Directorate of Criminal Analysis and Investigation
- 5 MI-3 biometric readers
- Accompaniment of personnel from the Attorney General’s Office and the Human Rights Ombudsman’s Office.
Authorities reiterated that these actions will help control prisons and prevent extortion.
The operations demonstrate the commitment of the Government of President Bernardo Arévalo through Mingob to combat extortion and crime in Guatemala, thus guaranteeing the protection of citizens and the country’s security.
Buenos días Xela.
— Francisco Jiménez (@FJimenezmingob) February 27, 2024
Buenos días Granja Penal Cantel, ¡llegó visita! 👊🏼
Ahora requisa antiextorsiones con:
~ 500 valientes agentes de la PNC
~ 75 valientes agentes Élite del SP
~ 2 Equipos K-9 de Explosivos y SGAIA
5 lectores biométricos “MI3”
Acompañamiento del #MP y #DDHH. pic.twitter.com/DUBSYKKPpK
Strengthening actions
Recently, the authorities of Mingob announced the creation of the Equipo Multidisciplinario de Control de Acceso Penitenciario -ECAP- (Multidisciplinary Prison Access Control Team). This interinstitutional team, composed of 45 elite officers and multidisciplinary personnel, aims to reinforce controls in the country’s prisons and prevent the entry of illicit items during visiting hours.
The elite group will operate dynamically and randomly in different prisons to verify and supervise access protocols. Other actions include inviting the country’s telephone companies to be part of a technical round table to work together to block access to Internet services in prisons.