Preliminary investigations by the National Civil Police (PNC) indicate that Daniel Roberto Arias Figueroa, alias “he Dwarf“, leader of the Leeward Locos Salvatrucha clique, of the Mara Salvatrucha (MS), would have ordered from the Maximum Security Detention Center Renovation I the armed attack that occurred in a cevicheria in zone 6 of the capital.
Due to this and other facts, the Criminal Court of First Instance for Extortion Crimes of Guatemala issued a new arrest warrant for the crimes of murder, attempted murder and illicit association. The Police reported that Arias was notified of a new case against him in Renovación I.
Arias Figueroa was captured on October 21, 2025 and transferred on March 2, 2026 to Renovación I, from where, according to authorities, he would continue to issue instructions to criminal structures that operate in zones 4, 5 and 9 of Guatemala City.
According to the Police, The attack in the cevichería was against Noemí Sinay Hernández and her companion allegedly linked to Barrio 18; However, the incident left six people dead, after the attackers shot all of the business’ customers, including a 5-year-old child, who was injured.
Due to that incident and complaints of extortion, the PNC and the Public Ministry (MP) carried out 127 raids against the gang and captured 40 of its members, among them, the two subjects who allegedly participated in the shooting at the cevichería on April 21.
One of them is Yoshua Alexander Rodríguez Saldaña, 22 years old, alias “Yoshua.” According to the Police, he has an arrest warrant for illicit association, murder, attempted murder and extortionate obstruction of traffic. He was detained in a home located in the La Palmita neighborhood, zone 5.
The other detainee is Jesús Alejandro López, 29 years old, alias “Chus” and “Pelón”, charged with the crimes of illicit association, murder and extortionate obstruction of traffic. López was arrested in a home in zone 6 of the capital.
MP says he is still investigating
According to the MP, in the operation called “Impact against extortion” people linked to a criminal structure dedicated to extortion of transport companies were captured, among other relevant results.
“It is clarified that the information circulating about the capture, in this operation, of one of the alleged perpetrators of an act of violence that recently occurred in zone 6 of Guatemala City is erroneous. This investigation is in charge of the Prosecutor’s Office for Crimes against the Life and Integrity of Persons, which, in compliance with its constitutional mandate, continues to carry out the pertinent procedures to identify those responsible,” said the MP.
Orders from prison
David Custodio Boteo, general director of the PNC, explained during an interview in Free Press Radio that these events respond to direct orders from ringleaders held in the different prisons in the country.
“No event that happens on the street, in the case of the cevichería, does not happen if the leader of the clique and the gang does not authorize the killing of people. So that means that, if we do not isolate the leaders of the gangs and criminal terrorist organizations, the situation will not change. Here we do not have any isolation area for those deprived of liberty,” he indicated.
He added that, despite the efforts in detention centers, the structures maintain control:
“Right now great efforts are being made in the area of Renewal 1, but it really does not guarantee that the prisoners, leaders of both gangs, will continue to organize criminal activities.”
A retaliation for the cevichería massacre
On Tuesday, April 21, an armed attack was recorded in the Cipresales neighborhood, zone 6 of the capital, where two people died and two others were injured. In the opinion of the Minister of the Interior, Marco Antonio Villeda, it was an event related to the massacre in the cevichería.
“What also happened in the Cipresales neighborhood, I understand, is a retaliation as a result of what happened previously in this cevichería. And therefore we are generating operations to control this violence and to capture those responsible for these murders,” said Villeda.
Reorganization of criminal structures
The head of the Interior portfolio said that there is a reorganization of the criminal structures after the ringleaders were isolated. On July 31, 2025, 10 gang leaders from the MS and Barrio 18 were transferred to Renovación I to try to stop criminal acts in the country; However, since then there have been riots, escape attempts, and seizures of money and firearms in that prison.
“What happens is that we must also take into account that we have isolated the leaders of these criminal groups and therefore there has been an internal recomposition to take over these leadership voids left by these people who we have completely isolated within the penitentiary centers,” he indicated.
Villeda said that they have identified a “bladder phenomenon,” which consists of a displacement of criminal groups to other sectors of the country, when operations are carried out in the areas where they have their operations.
Mingob regrets the homicides in the country
“Yes, more than anyone, of course, I regret these types of situations, I regret the death of every Guatemalan. I am always aware every day of how the homicidal incidence dawns, where these criminal acts occur to take corrective measures and prevent these unfortunate events from being repeated or happening,” commented the minister.
Information: Prensa Libre Radio and Mauricio Álvarez.
