Politics
Congressman Julio Portillo and Three Police Officers Killed in Attack in Zacapa
A Guatemalan congressman and three National Civil Police officers were killed in an armed attack on Friday in the town of Rio Hondo, in the eastern Zacapa department, an area known for drug trafficking activity. The attack targeted Congressman Julio Portillo, who was taken to a hospital with serious injuries before later dying. His death was confirmed by his party, the National Unity of Hope (UNE). The congress, via a post on X, expressed mourning for Portillo, who had been elected in 2023 for the opposition party Cabal before switching to UNE, led by former First Lady Sandra Torres. President Bernardo Arévalo said the police officers died in the line of duty and instructed security forces to cooperate with prosecutors. No motive or perpetrators have been disclosed. The Lorenzana family cartel, linked to Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, controls the drug trade in Zacapa. The killings come roughly three weeks after former anti‑corruption prosecutor Juan Francisco Solorzano Foppa was shot dead in Guatemala City, a case that raised concerns about organized crime and politically motivated assassinations. Authorities have not linked the two incidents.