GUATEMALA · SECURITY
Key Facts
- —The country Guatemala, in Central America, borders Mexico and sits on a main cocaine route to the United States.
- —What happened On Monday, 12 October, High-Risk Court A sentenced Kevin Castellanos to 79 years and 4 months for killing two police officers.
- —The US angle Authorities blame the attack on Barrio 18, a street gang the US State Department designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization in September 2025.
- —The terrorism count The sentence includes 13 years and 4 months for terrorism, under a 2025 law that classes street gangs as terrorist groups.
- —The attack Officers Diana Chávez and Juan Antonio Paredes were killed on 18 January in El Limón, a neighbourhood in Guatemala City’s zone 18.
- —Still open A hearing on compensation for the officers’ families is due on Thursday; no appeal has been reported.
A Guatemalan court on Monday, 12 October, sentenced Kevin Castellanos to 79 years and 4 months for killing two police officers. Authorities blame the January attack on Barrio 18, a street gang the United States lists as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
Of that total, 13 years and 4 months are for terrorism, a charge a 2025 law opened up for gang crimes. The Guatemala City daily La Hora reports that he is the first alleged gang member convicted of terrorism since that reform.
What the Court Decided
High-Risk Court A is one of Guatemala’s special trial courts for organised crime and other dangerous cases. Castellanos followed Monday’s hearing by video link, Prensa Libre reported.
The judges convicted him of murder, illegal carrying of military-grade weapons, illicit association and terrorism. They gave him 50 years for murder, 10 for the weapons and 6 for illicit association.
The terrorism count added 13 years and 4 months, bringing the total to 79 years and 4 months. The court also imposed a fine of US$33,000, payable in its equivalent in quetzales, Guatemala’s currency.
Prosecutors had asked on Friday, 9 October, for 76 years and 6 months, including 10 years for terrorism. The judges went beyond that request on the terrorism count.
Police seized a rifle from Castellanos when they arrested him, and authorities say it was used in the attack. At the 9 October hearing, his defence asked for acquittal and argued that he does not belong to the gang.
The January Attacks on Police
Officers Diana Chávez and Juan Antonio Paredes of the National Civil Police, Guatemala’s national force, died on Sunday, 18 January 2026. Gunmen attacked them in El Limón, a neighbourhood in zone 18 of Guatemala City.
Police came under attack in several places that day. Authorities blamed Barrio 18 and called the attacks revenge for the state retaking three prisons where gang inmates had rioted.
The riots hit Renovación 1 in Escuintla, Fraijanes 2 and the men’s pretrial jail in zone 18, Prensa Libre reported. Rioters held more than 40 prison guards, according to Estrategia y Negocios, a business magazine.
President Bernardo Arévalo, an anti-corruption reformer in office since January 2024, declared a 30-day nationwide state of siege on 18 January. The wave of attacks eventually left 11 police officers dead, Prensa Libre reported, citing the authorities.
The Law That Labels Gangs Terrorists
Guatemala’s Congress approved Decree 11-2025, an anti-gang law, on 21 October 2025 with 145 votes. It declares street gangs, including Barrio 18 and its rival Mara Salvatrucha, transnational criminal and terrorist groups.
Arévalo welcomed it, saying it would give the security forces the tools needed to fight the gangs, Emisoras Unidas reported. The law took effect after its publication in the official gazette on 10 November 2025.
It raises terrorism sentences by one third when a designated group commits the crime, Prensa Libre reported when the law took effect.
According to La Hora, Castellanos is the first person accused of gang membership to be convicted of terrorism since that reform.
Washington’s Terrorist Label on Barrio 18
The US State Department designated Barrio 18 a Foreign Terrorist Organization in a notice published in the Federal Register on 24 September 2025. Under US law, giving material support to such a group is a federal crime.
Guatemala’s neighbours are moving in the same direction. Honduras declared three unnamed criminal groups terrorist on 19 September, under a gang law published in May.
In El Salvador, prosecutors said on 11 October that a court had sentenced 71 members and collaborators of a Barrio 18 cell in one case.
What It Means for You
For American readers, the verdict shows a close US partner using terrorism law against a gang Washington already treats as terrorist.
For travellers and companies, it signals tougher prosecution, not an end to gang violence. Twenty police officers had been killed in Guatemala in 2026 by late July, Emisoras Unidas reported, citing official sources.
The ruling does not mean the gang has been broken. Nor does it mean every gang case will now carry a terrorism charge.
What Is Not Known
The Public Ministry, Guatemala’s prosecution service, had posted no statement on the ruling on its website by Tuesday morning. Whether the defence will appeal has not been reported.
It is not clear what became of the sedition charge, for which prosecutors had sought six months. Prensa Libre notes that some of the January police killings are still under investigation.
A hearing on compensation for the officers’ families, known in Guatemala as reparación digna, is scheduled for Thursday, La Hora reported.
More: Guatemala news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Barrio 18?
Barrio 18 is a street gang active in Guatemala and El Salvador. Guatemalan authorities blame it for the January attacks on police, and Washington designated it a terrorist organization in 2025.
Why did a murder case include a terrorism charge?
Guatemala’s 2025 anti-gang law classes street gangs as terrorist groups and reformed the Penal Code. The court found Castellanos took part in coordinated attacks on police, which added 13 years and 4 months.
What happens next in the case?
A hearing on compensation for the two officers’ families is scheduled for Thursday. No appeal by the defence has been reported.
Sources: Federal Register (US State Department), 24 September 2025; Prensa Libre, 12 October 2026; La Hora, 12 October 2026; Prensa Libre (prosecution request), 9 October 2026; La Hora (prosecution request), 9 October 2026; Emisoras Unidas, 21 October 2025; Prensa Libre (anti-gang law in force), 10 November 2025; Estrategia y Negocios, 18 January 2026; Emisoras Unidas, 28 July 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
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