Officers of the National Civilian Police (Guatemala's main police force) and soldiers of the National Army conduct a special raiding operation inside the El Milagro (The Miracle) neighborhood, one of the most violent places due to the massive presence of gang members in Mixco, Guatemala City, Guatemala. After the special operation, authorities reported that 9 gang members and 4 members of the Los Zetas, one of the most infamous drug cartels from Mexico that had extended its operations to Guatemala, had been captured accused of illegal association, drug trafficking, extortion and murder. In Latin America, a Mara is a type of transnational criminal gang, particularly prevalent in the Northern Triangle (El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala). Unlike other local gangs, maras have a transnational origin as they emerged in Los Angeles during the 1980s, formed mainly by immigrants to protect themselves from already established local gangs. In the 1990s, stricter immigration laws in the United States led to the mass deportation of gang members to their countries of origin. Upon returning, these members replicated the gang culture of Los Angeles, rapidly expanding throughout Central America. There are two dominant groups that maintain a historical and violent rivalry: Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and Mara Barrio 18 (M-18). The members, called Mareros in Spanish, are known for their extensive tattoos on their face and body as a symbol of loyalty. They are organized into local cells called Clicas, which operate with great autonomy but under strict codes of conduct. Their main sources of income are widespread extortion, small-scale drug and human trafficking, contract killing, and kidnapping. As of January 2026, Guatemala is experiencing an intense security crisis, with the government declaring a 30-day state of emergency following violent, coordinated offensive attacks by the Barrio 18 gang, that killed 11 police officers in what authorities described as a direct, organized response to the state's actions against their leaders and their prison privileges. Despite joint operations between the Police and the Army, the government faces the challenge of a 340% prison overcrowding, which hinders the effective isolation of the leaders of the Maras. The countries that have declared the Maras as international terrorists organizations are the United States, Canada, El Salvador and Guatemala. These designations allow governments to use more severe legal tools, such as freezing financial assets, longer prison sentences, and expedited extradition processes.
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