The use of advanced technology for theft of containers and vehicles in Guatemala, which is recorded almost daily, is an issue that remains a concern for the National Transport Coordinator, who on Thursday, November 7, reiterated the alert about the way criminal gangs operate.
María Teresa González, president of that union, explained that the structures are using advanced technological devices that block communications at any frequency, including GPS, WiFi and cell phone signals, which facilitates theft and leaves the transporters incommunicado.
“It is worrying that these devices, which are of very modern technologies, serve to disable all communication in any frequency range, not mattering at what distance,” he warned.
These devices, he explained, are portable and can be programmed to disable specific signals, even with vehicles in place, allowing thieves to operate more effectively and without interference.
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“This coverage means that, for example, a device of these that is portable is carried in a vehicle, on a par with the truck, and then inhibits all the communication of the head. It doesn’t matter if you take a GPS or two GPS, if you’re wearing a cellphone. At that time they are completely incommunicado and at the mercy of the thieves,” he said.
Signal inhibitors now have more advanced models and can use more specific interference techniques.
“They are so refined that they can even exclusively inhibit cell phone signal and GPS signal, and leave the radio signal open and they – criminals, can communicate via radio,” he described.
Police action
This movement of criminal groups represents a challenge for the authorities, who seek to contain its expansion, explained Edwin Monroy, spokesman for the National Civil Police (PNC).
“Many of the property has managed to be recovered, and the police have begun to better understand the functioning of these gangs,” Gonzalez said.
However, in many cases, neither the merchandise nor the head are recovered, reflecting the complexity of these operations.
According to the spokesman for the PNC, the teams such as the section against the Robbery of Vehicles of the Specialized Division in Criminal Investigation (DEIC), and the Criminal Analysis Unit, focus on this type of illegal activity.
From January to October 2024, the authorities have dismantled seven gangs of stealers and more than 30 are arrested for aggravated theft, Monroy said.
Research not only focuses on captures, but also includes searches, cell phone analysis and most essentials, the search for suppliers of these devices.
Once police teams make arrests, they seek to establish connections between gang members, if they have a history of crimes, or participated in other criminal acts.
“This is how the investigation begins to see where they could get the signal blockers or who is the one who provides them,” Monroy described.
For security reasons, according to Monroy, details about the suppliers cannot be delved, although he said they are identified.
“These criminals use high-end signal blockers, and several of them have been arrested in flogging. In addition, heavy transport vehicles loaded with merchandise have been recovered, with the route to the Pacific being the most recorded of these thefts,” he agreed on the most affected section in the south of the country.
In addition, he stated that theft of vans is not limited to the use of signal blockers, these criminal organizations use complex logistics to carry out their operations.
Usually, they mobilize in two vehicles, allowing them to move and act quickly during the theft. He also described that there are five or six people who are part of the crime-implementing group, who are equipped with weapons, often of large caliber.
In addition, the band is not limited to intercepting trucks; they sometimes replace van drivers with others, in order to evade identification and hinder prosecution.
Although progress has been made in dismantling these structures, according to Monroy, one of the problems is the leak of information within companies, where employees filter data on the routes and the value of the loads.
“Companies should be subjecting their staff to the polygraph test, pilots and also those who work directly with them on the logistics line, because it is often also the same workers who provide information to these structures,” Monroy said.
Initiative
In the face of this growing concern, the Commission of the Interior presented a proposal for a law to regulate the use of signal blockers, which aims to ensure that the use of these devices is left exclusively in the hands of the Ministry of the Interior (Mingob), prohibiting their acquisition and use by individuals.
Julio Marroquín, who presides over this legislative chamber, in his speech, stressed that currently anyone can easily acquire these devices, which endangers not only the safety of the carriers, but also that of other citizens.
“Today, anyone can easily get a signal blocker as you can buy online and there’s a variety of prices,” he added. For this reason, he explained that his acquisition would be limited, granting only the Mingob the ability to acquire them. “They will be granted exclusivity,” he said.
“What is being anticipated with this law is that no individual can have a signal blocker, only the security forces and the prison system. Anyone who is caught with one of these devices will be committing a crime, and it will be a ground for punishment,” the deputy said.
He also mentioned that the penalties for those who are caught using a signal blocker would be between 3 and 7 years in prison.
The representative of the National Transport Coordinator stressed that “they are really very modern devices” and it is therefore a priority and urgent for them to be regulated. “They’re making us a very big impact,” he said.
“That’s why we see in the news so many thefts of containers, trucks and goods, and that, when they are recovered, these devices are found. However, in the absence of any penalty for possessing or using these devices in thefts, then, there are no aggravating factors in these cases,” González said.
In addition, he estimated that at least one daily container theft is currently occurring, although he stressed that there was a period in which the average was two thefts a day. In the last two years, since 2022, they have been more than a thousand units, he said.
However, it warns that there are various gangs that tend to travel to different areas of the country to avoid detection and thus continue their criminal activities.
This article has been translated after originally appearing in Prensa Libre