How serious is extortion in Guatemala for businesses?

According to Guatemala's 2025 profile in the Global Organized Crime Index, extortion is one of the country's most pervasive criminal markets, with cases rising sharply since 2023,… and Guatemala scores 8.50 for extortion and protection racketeering. The index says that the majority of extortion crimes originate within the prison system, with inmates using telecommunication services to threaten businesses and civilians; that the food industry is particularly affected, with nearly all major companies reporting extortion demands; and that organized crime heavily impacts the private sector through extortion and fraud, particularly targeting small businesses, the food industry and waste management companies. InSight Crime's Guatemala profile states that Guatemala's criminal organizations are among the most sophisticated in Central America (a general characterisation, not one specific to extortion); it describes the MS13 and Barrio 18 gangs as predatory, surviving mostly from extortion in poor urban neighborhoods, and cites Guatemalan anti-gang police: 70% of reported extortion cases in 2019 were related to calls made from within prisons.