Early this month, Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina announced he was considering a plan to legalize the production of marijuana and opium poppies in the country. In an email interview, Adriana Beltran, a senior associate for citizen security at the Washington Office on Latin America who specializes in Guatemala, explained how drug legalization might affect levels of violence in Guatemala.
WPR: Who are the main actors driving insecurity in Guatemala, and what are their primary activities?
Adriana Beltran: Violence in Guatemala comes from many sources. Organized criminal organizations are one of the main drivers of violence. Their members include former and active military and police, longtime traffickers and Mexican and Colombian cartels. These groups engage in a wide range of illegal activities, including drug trafficking, arms and human smuggling, kidnapping and illegal adoptions, among others.