Guatemala Forum

Austintatious
Joined 2009
Posts: 22

14 years ago

The Guatemalan mafia

14 years ago

There is a criminal organization that operates openly, primarily in Xela and to a lesser degree in Guatemala City.

They call themselves "Honorable Comite de Huelga de Todos los Dolores".

They try to pass themselves off as university students asking for donations on the streets of the city. Some of them are students but my guess is that most are not. They always wear full length, hooded robes of varying colors, with the color signifying the member's rank within the organization.

The hoods have small holes so they can see, but you can not see their faces. They often carry clubs or knives and they are serious people that should be avoided, if possible.

Every February they send a letter in the mail to all businesses requesting a "donation" which can be as much as several thousand quetzales. You have 15 days from receipt of the letter to pay the amount, although a phone number is provided allowing you to "negotiate" your donation amount.

If you fail to pay, the hooded men will visit you business and break windows, spray graffitti, or do bodily harm to the businessperson(s).

There are people in the various governments of Guatemala that are members of this organization and they have access to your business records. The amount of money they "request" as a donation is correlated with your personal wealth and business success.

The police in Guatemala are on the take, so they do nothing, and federal officials are intimidated into inaction.

This organization is growing and the amount requested as a "donation" increases each year. This organization is a cancer on Guatemala that all people should be aware of, particularly if you are thinking of opening a business here.

Today is the final day of this year's "operations", which they call "Gran Desfile Bufo". There are roughly a hundred hooded men riding motorcycles and spraying water (perhaps mixed with urine) at a crowd of roughly a thousand people that has gathered around Xela's central park. Roughly a thousand more hooded men are parading around the Democracia outdoor market area of Xela.

The local brewery donates a large amount of beer for a party at the local San Carlos university.

The local citizenry (the poor peasants) seem to be oblivious to the criminal activities of this group. I guess that their parades are a source of cheap entertainment for them.

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