Central American gangs raising fears in southern Mexico
Associated PressTAPACHULA, Mexico — With threatening phone calls, burned minibuses and at least three drivers shot to death, street gangs more closely associated with Central America are imposing their brand of terror-based extortion on public transportation drivers in southern Mexico. Organized crime groups including the rival Mara Salvatrucha and Barrio 18 gangs have long maintained a presence along the border between Mexico and Guatemala, but Mexican authorities say their numbers have increased over the past year as El Salvador cracks down on gang members and their criminal enterprises. José Mateo Martínez, Chiapas state prosecutor for migrant affairs, says El Salvador’s crackdown on organized crime is behind the increase in criminal activity in Mexico. Enforcement has been less forceful among El Salvador’s neighbors: From 2018 through November 2022, Mexico arrested and deported 97 Salvadorans allegedly tied to gangs, mostly in the last two years, according to the Chiapas state prosecutor’s office. Authorities in El Salvador said he had fled to Mexico with his family and other gang members to avoid capture under El Salvador’s special emergency powers.