Guatemalan Drug Gangs & Me: The Human Cost of Prohibition

"Someone has to do something for Guatemala. The government doesn't do anything," says a Guatemalan resident Reason.tv calls "Miguel."

In the past few years, the drug war has resulted in more than 40,000 deaths in Mexico and the situation in Guatemala is just as bleak. Last year alone, 5,000 people died in drug-war-related incidents.

Corrupt police do little to protect Guatemalans, and Guatemala's corrupt court system convicts only 5 percent of arrested criminals.

In Guatemala City, private security guards outnumber police officers five-to-one, and robberies at gunpoint are common. For the impoverished people who live in Guatemala's biggest city, life has become extremely dangerous.

Not all crime in Guatemala is committed by drug gangs, but there is no aspect of life in the country that has not been made far worse by prohibition and the black markets and violence such a policy inevitably creates.

This past May, Reason.tv's Paul Feine spoke with "Miguel" about what it's like to live in a city controlled by drug gangs and corrupt cops.

Approximately 5 minutes.

Produced by Paul Feine and Alex Manning.

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• drug war
• guatemala
• paul feine
• alex manning

[R3dRider92]

ohh filmed in the UFM? :D i recognize those windows behind him haha thats my Uni

[psyk310]

on day theres gunna be a war & a guatemalan gang is gunna start up juss like salvador

[PabloKoh6]

"Someone has to do something for Guatemala" Yeah, stop paying bribes.

[HomelessOnline]

@LegSpreader69 - Love the name!

[LegSpreader69]

@HomelessOnline I'll second that man. RTust me, I now, Dutchman here.

[Panpiper]

@mortalisk Troll.

[HomelessOnline]

@ABGAN100 - Again, "except in my case." I agree that murderers and rapists most likely use drugs, and started with pot, but they probably started with cigarettes before that. Cigarettes are the real gateway drug as far as I'm concerned. Most people who smoke pot don't "move up" to other drugs or crimes, however. (I have no statistic, just my own experience and opinion.)

[mortalisk]

But think of the children of the drug gangs. It might be unfortunate that they have to take taxes from this guy, but otherwize their children would starve, and this guy was already making a profit( also known as exploiting his customers ), so he should help. The drug gang was just making sure he did his part like all the other businesses around. If he doesn't want to pay, he can just move!

[j00ed]

@ABGAN100 Obviously, appending "rainbow ponies" in one's statements is considered a perfectly serious move in your parts. Kindergarten must be really fun.

[ABGAN100]

@j00ed its not my ability to comprehend sarcasm but your ability to deliver it, I merely assumed given you previous statements that you were incapable of sarcasm. an understandable mistake i suppose even a mentally challenged person like you self with enough hard work can come up with a sarcastic remark.