Auto Theft Ring Sending Vehicles to Guatemala

There has been a string of vehicle thefts in Benque Viejo del Carmen over the past few weeks, as persons living near the western border are being held up at gunpoint and robbed.  Their vehicles are then transported into Guatemala.  Police believe that there is a specific group of men behind these robberies; some of whom they can identify by name. Less than a week ago, a BECOL employee was shot and killed in Benque by men who stole his 2020 Futon pickup truck. The Pacheco family, residing on the Border Road, experienced a similar situation on Friday. Fortunately for them, no one was killed, and they were able to recover their vehicle, after they alerted family in Guatemala.

Joseph Myvett

ACP Joseph Myvett, Head, National Crimes Investigation Branch

“The last one being sometime on Friday at eleven a.m. Police were called sometime to border road where they learnt from the Pacheco family that the family was held up by two men who were both armed. A dark complexion and a Hispanic male, they were held at gun point where the house was ransacked. Thereafter, a vehicle, a dark grey Toyota Hilux which was parked in the driveway was taken by those persons. We believe that that vehicle ended up in Guatemala. Where, after conversing with the family, we learnt that their family members in Guatemala were called who confronted those persons who were involved in the vehicle theft. As a result, they were able to secure the vehicle from those persons. The vehicle was later brought back and handed over to the person by their own means.”

Paul Lopez

“It seems to be an issue that police have been having a challenge to tackle and prevent. Are these men outsmarting police strategies, as they continue to commit these crimes?”

ACP Joseph Myvett

“No, I do not think that that is the case. What happened is that certain strategies have been put in place. We have made effort to cut off some of those areas that are used as escape routes. These persons then find new escape routes by creating new off roads in order to divert or bypass those areas that are being policed.”

Paul Lopez

“There is some intel floating around that the BECOL employee who was killed in Benque last week could possibly have been killed by these men to rob him.”

ACP Joseph Myvett

“I am not going into the details of that. I have said before, at one of these press briefs that, we are looking at a specific group. Persons who we have names for in some instances of some of those persons person who we believe are involved. So it is a larger investigation whereby we are looking at several other issues other than just one vehicle.”