Who actually extorts in Guatemala: gangs or imitators?

According to police records compiled by CIEN (January 2024), about 80% of extortions are committed by gang "imitators", prisoners with a phone calling at random, one-off demands, often through deception,… and about 90% of extortions originate inside a prison. The operational implication: much of the risk can be filtered out with telephone protocols and does not require a territorial gang presence. Systematic territorial extortion ("rent") by Barrio 18 and MS-13 is concentrated on public transport and neighbourhood retail in the areas they control.