Mexico, Guatemala Set to Conduct Joint Border Crackdown on Cartels
Mexico's Secretary of National Defense, Ricardo Trevilla Trejo, disclosed the initiative during a Mexico City press briefing, one day following a violent encounter between Guatemala's Armed Forces and gunmen suspected of belonging to a Mexican cartel on Guatemalan soil.
"A plan will be implemented to carry out coordinated operations along the border with Mexican Army forces on our territory, and similar operations will also be conducted with personnel from Guatemala. These operations begin today and are tentatively scheduled to end on the 11th. However, if necessary, they will be extended for as long as required," Trejo said during the briefing.
The defense chief additionally announced that authorities have directed the Southeast Military Air Region headquartered in Tuxtla Gutierrez, the capital of Chiapas state, to perform aerial surveillance missions along the frontier on Mexican territory.
Monday evening saw Guatemala's Ministry of Defense report gunfire in a remote settlement in Huehuetenango near the Mexican border. Through an official communiqué, the Guatemalan Defense Ministry stated that "unidentified illegal armed groups" crossed into Guatemala, where they came upon an army patrol executing standard operations, triggering the assault on the troops.
The firefight wounded one Guatemalan soldier, though injuries were not severe. A follow-up military operation secured the zone, leading to one suspect's capture and the confiscation of heavy armaments, explosives, additional equipment and drones.
Tuesday's briefing saw Trejo confirm that Mexican forces had positioned troops along the frontier and shared intelligence with their Guatemalan counterparts.
Based on Trejo's assessment, the border territory between Mexico and Guatemala currently falls under the dominion of two criminal organizations: the Sinaloa Cartel and the Chiapas-Guatemala Cartel, both of which maintain operations there and transit regularly across both nations.
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