Police Spokesperson Edwin Monroy told the Centroamerica newspaper that 19 defendants are being kept in Guatemalan prisons, while 42 others had been expelled back to their country.

The Ministry of Government confirmed as a priority cracking down on gangs and called on the public to report any crimes.

As of late, members of the Mara Salvatrucha and Barrio 18 gangs have been fleeing El Salvador, ahead of the massive arrests brought about by the state of emergency imposed by President Nayik Bukele.

Last June, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador signed an agreement to cooperate on biometric data management issues, as an instrument to protect mutual borders.

Ile/omr/rgh/znc