Newspapers in Guatemala exploded with a discussion of the WikiLeaks cables the week of 13 February 2011. Newspapers first reported on cables sent from the US Embassy in Guatemala that spoke to the level of control drug cartels have over parts of the country. The most significant cable, 09GUATEMALA106, was sent by Ambassador McFarland to the State Department on 6 February 2009. The cable included a great deal of information about the state of affairs in Cobán, Alta Verapaz, and concluded that the rule of law is “collapsing” and that the city’s law enforcement and judicial institutions are overwhelmed and insufficient. The cable states that the state is quickly losing control in Cobán, a process which has already taken place in Zacapa and Izabal, as well as portions of Jutiapa, Chiquimula, San Marcos and Petén. The Embassy recommended that action be taken immediately, because “[w]ithout outside intervention, Cobán will join the growing list of areas lost to narcotraffickers.”
The Embassy based these comments on information gathered from both anonymous and official sources during two trips USAID and Embassy officers made to the region in January 2009. An anonymous resident of Cobán told US officials that three groups of narcotraffickers were present in Cobán: the Lorenzana family of Zacapa, represented in Cobán by Walter Overdic Mejía; the Mendoza family of Izabal, led by “El Loco” Turcios in Cobán; and more than 100 Zetas from Mexico. The source stated that Los Zetas had arrived in Cobán at the invitation of Overdic Mejía, who thought he could enter into partnership with them. In the end, however, Los Zetas attempted to take over, buying land on the route to Mexico, openly using the airport, and paying immigration officials to obtain Guatemalan passports and other documents. US officials also visited poor neighborhoods in Cobán where members of Los Zetas are rumored to reside. The cable commented that “many idle youths” were out and about on the streets who “could easily be manipulated by outsiders with money.” (more…)
