Reuters AlertNet Lite - Guatemala arrests gang leader for serial killings

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Guatemala arrests gang leader for serial killings

28 Nov 2007 21:52:48 GMT
Source: Reuters

GUATEMALA CITY, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Police in Guatemala have arrested a street gang leader accused of 34 murders, the deputy national police chief said on Wednesday.

Wilfredo Monzon, 37, was captured along with seven other gang members in a raid by more than 100 police officers, said Henry Lopez, director-general of Guatemala's national police.

Lopez told reporters that Monzon, who operated in a run-down area in the north of Guatemala City, was the leader of a little-known gang called "Los Gallos" (The Roosters).

Monzon's 34 victims over the past few years included rival gang members, local residents and business owners who refused to pay protection money to his gang, Lopez said.

Guatemala is plagued by violent youth street gangs known as "maras," the biggest being the Mara Salvatrucha and Calle 18, which originated in Los Angeles.

Almost 6,000 people were murdered last year in Guatemala, giving it one of the world's highest murder rates.

President-elect Alvaro Colom, who will take power in January, has vowed to tackle the problem of the heavily tattooed gang members behind the daily killings, beheadings, eye gougings and rapes in one of Latin America's most crime-ridden countries. (Reporting by Herbert Hernandez, writing by Catherine Bremer, editing by Eric Walsh)

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Last updated:Wed Nov 28 21:52:00 2007