Guatemalan authorities transferred over 200 incarcerated gang members to a new prison on Sunday after learning that they were operating a criminal call center from behind bars.
Roughly 400 police officers removed members of the Barrio 18 gang from a prison that the criminal group had apparently commandeered. At the facility, nicknamed “El Infiernito” (Little Hell), prisoners reportedly raised chickens, owned TVs and fridges, used air conditioning and operated a criminal call center where they orchestrated extortion schemes and other crimes to be committed on the outside, according to CBS News.
“Again, this prison belongs to the country. We are going to restructure it so that it is now a Maximum Security prison,” Interior Minister Francisco Jiménez wrote on social media following the removal of the gang members from El Infiernito.
Desde las 4:31 am. ya no hay ni un solo reo en el Presidio “El Infiernito”.
De nuevo esta cárcel es del país. La vamos a reestructurar para que ahora si sea una cárcel de Máxima seguridad. pic.twitter.com/O15JgEL1tu
— Francisco Jiménez (@FJimenezmingob) June 2, 2024
The prison transfer took place in the early hours of the morning on Sunday, according to a news release from the Guatemalan government.
“This measure was taken by the Government of Guatemala through the Ministry of the Interior (Mingob) to regain control of the ‘El Infiernito’ prison facilities, which were handed over to criminals by previous governments,” the release read. (RELATED: Illegal Migrant Arrested For Kidnapping, Sexually Assaulting Child Was Given Years-Long Court Date)
Jimenez took to social media to commend the officers who removed the pirsoners, writing that Guatemalan prisons are not vacation destinations.
Criminal violence claimed 4,361 lives in Guatemala in 2023, half of which was related to gang activity and drug trafficking, according to CBS News.
