On Tuesday, President Colom announced that Guatemalan authorities captured Hugo Alvaro Gomez Vasquez, a former kailbil and accused leader of the Zetas known as the "witch". He is suspected of having taken part in the weekend massacre in Peten as well as the murder of three relatives of the ranch owner, Otto Salguero. Colom also admitted that other former officers might have been involved in the murders but they don't know that yet.
Authorities are still working under the assumption that Salguero did not pay the extortion demanded of him by the Zetas for the release of his relatives. The group of Zetas then went to the ranch looking for Salguero. The killing then began when they could not find him. Other stories still report that the killing could have come about because of fighting between rival drug traffickers. It's possible, but given that authorities know where Salguero is and the fact that they have not released any information connecting Salguero to drug trafficking, that avenue is becoming less likely.
The details about the initial kidnapping and ransom also remain unclear from what I have read. Luis Carlos Bardales Chacon was kidnapped May 10th. His wife and father went to pay the ransom but they were found dead on May 13th. Bardales's remains have not been found in most of the articles, but in some of the others Gomez is being charged with three murders. I am going with Bardales' being dead because a recent Prensa Libre article stated cellphones, weapons and money found with the remains of the three bodies led them to Gomez.
Then if his wife and father went to pay the Q400k ransom, they must have been killed because they did not have enough money to cover the entire payment, right? However, the police also believe that Salguero was being extorted for both money and drugs. Maybe he only paid the money and not the drugs? That would have infuriated the Zetas and led to their attack upon the ranch. The ransom only amounts to $52,000. Given the amount of money involved in the drug trade, I guess I don't see such an escalation of violence coming out of such a small amount. It's likely that the murders involved more than a $52,000 ransom gone bad and involved drugs or Salguero's land.
Interior Minister Carlos Menocal also announced that the Guatemalan authorities' investigation into the killings is bringing them to the departments of Zacapa, Izabal, Alta Verapaz, Baja Verapaz, Quiché and Petén. They are also working with partners in Mexico, Honduras, and Belize to ensure that the remaining suspects do not successfully flee the country. One of the vehicles found at the camp where the suspects resided had Belizean plates. In addition to the car with plates from Belize, the Guatemalan security forces found hammocks, cooking equipment, generators, military uniforms, food, and high-powered rifles.
The Central American Parliament (PARLACEN) is also calling on the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) to assist in the investigation in order to determine whether clandestine security groups participated in the massacre.
I know that it is tough, but don't jump to any conclusion just yet about the future of Guatemala. The violence is obviously bad and one should be concerned. However, this is the first large-scale massacre in a few years. There is no indication that it is turning into another northern Mexico. There is also no evidence that this one event means that Guatemala is headings towards becoming a failed state or a narco-state or that we need to put together a multi-national force like what was done in Haiti.
(AP, AFP, AP, BBC, Miami Herald)
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