Lynchings Double in Guatemala

On Wednesday, Guatemalans from the town of La Democracia lynched three men suspected of stealing a truckload of coffee. The men were beat, hung, and then burned after being doused with gaoline.

Police said some 3,000 people were involved in the lynching, erecting barricades to the entrance to the town to keep authorities from intervening.

Two of the victims were 21 and 17 year-old brothers while the third was 17 as well.

Twenty-two people have been lynched so far this year. The number reflects a 50% increase over last year's lynching in the first three months of the year.  According to authorities, 13 people have been lynched in Huehuetenango, 5 in Guatemala (4 in San Juan Sacatepéquez y 1 in the capital), and 2 in both San Marcos and Escuintla.

Meanwhile, approximately 400 people marched in support of Juan Ortiz Lopez, a suspected drug trafficker arrested in Quetzaltenango during a joint US-Guatemalan operation. According to one of the protesters, "Ortiz did what the government doesn't - create jobs and support families."

On the other hand, the DEA considered him the highest-ranking drug trafficker in Guatemala and had been designated a "consolidated priority target."