Twenty Members of US-Blacklisted Gang Escape from Guatemala Prison

Twenty members of the notorious Barrio 18 gang, recently designated a “foreign terrorist organisation” by the United States, have escaped from a high-security prison in Guatemala, authorities confirmed on Sunday.

The inmates, who were being held at the Fraijanes II detention facility southeast of Guatemala City, “evaded security controls” in what officials described as a coordinated breakout. Prison director Ludin Godinez disclosed at a press briefing that an intelligence report had earlier warned of a possible escape, but the alert was not acted upon in time.

“We are investigating the circumstances surrounding this incident, including possible acts of corruption or internal complicity,” Godinez said.

The United States, through its embassy in Guatemala, condemned the escape as “utterly unacceptable,” vowing to hold accountable anyone who aids the fugitives. “The United States designated members of this heinous group as the terrorists they are and will hold accountable anyone who provides material support to these fugitives or other gang members,” the embassy said in a statement posted on X.

Barrio 18, along with its rival gang Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), originated in El Salvador and has been linked to widespread violence, extortion, and drug trafficking across Central America. According to Salvadoran authorities, the two gangs are responsible for over 200,000 deaths over the last three decades.

Guatemala’s Interior Minister, Francisco Jimenez, noted that the country currently houses about 12,000 gang members and collaborators, with another 3,000 serving time in prisons. He admitted that the latest escape highlights persistent security lapses in the nation’s correctional system.

Data from the Centre for National Economic Research show that Guatemala’s homicide rate rose from 16.1 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2024 to 17.65 in 2025 , more than twice the global average.

The Guatemalan government has launched a manhunt for the escapees and promised “swift and forceful measures” to restore public confidence in the nation’s prison security network.