Guatemala's Gang Problem

"Hardened in the streets and prisons of California and deported in the 1990s to the Central American countries where they were born, the members of the Mara Salvatrucha street gang swiftly grew into a force of heavily tattooed young men carrying out kidnappings, murder and extortion.

Now, Guatemalan authorities say, they have begun to see new and disturbing evidence of an alliance between the Maras and another of the most feared criminal organizations in Latin America — a deal with the potential to further undermine that U.S.-backed effort to fight violent crime and narcotics trafficking in the region."

 Guatemala is one of the most dangerous countries in the world with a weekly murder rate of 42 people per 100,00 residents in 2011, twice as high as Mexico's. The gangs are central players in a crime wave that has paralyzed the country.  Compared to L.A. gangs, those in Central America are operating without rules.  They have all the swagger of an L.A. gang, they have all the symbols, the tattoos, the signs, but they have none of the structure. They’re still too young to have developed any type of structure.  Many Guatemalan gangs have roots in Los Angeles. During the 1980s — with civil wars being fought in Central America — Salvadorans fled to Hispanic neighborhoods of Los Angeles. They established gangs, "maras" in Spanish, with names to honor their home country. The most notorious were Mara 18 (a reference to 18th Street in San Salvador) and Mara Salvatrucha 13 (a reference to the gang founders who said they were as wise as a trout or trucha).

Guatemala shares a 620-mile porous border with Mexico and many traffickers and other criminals have no trouble navigating the estimated 700 unofficial crossings. A "balloon effect" results when "reductions in illegal drug activity in one country lead to an increase in another," the Wilson Center observed.

But criminal activity is not limited to the drug trade. Widespread abductions, vehicle thefts, extortion, money laundering and human trafficking also plague the nation.

It's no surprise then that a Vox Latina national survey in July found that more than two-thirds of Guatemalans said violence was the issue that concerned them most, far outpacing the combined totals for the economy, unemployment, poverty and lack of education.Given those fears, it's also no surprise that law-and-order candidate Otto Perez Molina -- a former army general -- is polling about two times higher than his nearest challenger in Sunday's presidential election.

It seems like everyone is posting Gangland clips onto their blogs, so here it is, another clip. This one is pretty good though.  Its only ten minutes so its worth a watch.  Gives insight into how ruthless these gangs can be.