A confrontation between a group of Mexican police and drug traffickers sparks a conflict between Chiapas and Guatemala.

The confrontation that occurred on Sunday between an elite police group from the Mexican state of Chiapas and a group of drug traffickers, which led to their crossing the border into Guatemala in the Huehuetenango region, has triggered a series of accusations that heighten diplomatic tensions between the two countries, especially after it was revealed that the clash took place under the watch of Guatemalan agents.

On one side, the governor of Chiapas, Eduardo Ramírez, posted a message on his Facebook account this morning accusing Guatemalan authorities of being “colluding” with organized crime and “serving the criminals.” Two hours after that post, Guatemalan authorities held a press conference where Defense Minister Henry Sáenz defended the inaction of military personnel seen in videos and photographs circulating on social media, stating that their inactivity was to prevent harm to local residents or traders.

“I thank and fully support the members of the Guatemalan Army, specifically those involved in yesterday’s action, for their decision: They prioritized the human lives of our compatriots,” he said. In the same conference, Guatemalan Interior Minister Francisco Jiménez described the governor of Chiapas’s comments as “very strong,” but added that “it does not represent the opinion of Mexico, but rather that of one of many states it has.”

Guatemalan Vice President Karin Herrera also intervened during the conference but refused to initiate a diplomatic quarrel, stating that the issue would be resolved later in a meeting with her foreign minister.

Sheinbaum states that the police crossing the border is “not right”

Almost simultaneously, during her usual press conference, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum simply stated that it is “not right” for Mexican police to have entered Guatemala and promised that the Secretary of Security would provide more information on the matter on Tuesday.

In the afternoon of the same day, the Guatemalan government issued a more forceful statement claiming it has initiated an investigation to clarify the events. “We will not tolerate the violation of our borders, threats of violence to our population, and the involvement of any member of the security forces in such events,” the document states.

The elite unit of the Mexican Police involved is the Immediate Reaction Force Pakal (FRIP), created at the end of last year after the arrival of the new governor. This unit has been used as a shock element in response to the brutal escalation of violence that Chiapas experienced from 2021 to the end of 2024. However, in this short time, the pakales, as they are known in the region, have also been alleged to have links to drug trafficking. Additionally, reports of brutal abuses of authority, such as indiscriminate gunfire against local residents at the border, have been documented.

Videos of the attack surface

The confrontation erupted around 3:00 PM on Sunday when a group of elite Mexican police officers pursued a group of drug traffickers in the municipality of Frontera Comalapa, in the southern state of Chiapas, bordering Guatemala. Minutes earlier, in a confrontation on the highway, the agents had shot down four alleged criminals and seized several vehicles and heavy-caliber weapons. The surviving criminals fled to Guatemala. The Mexican police continued their chase and crossed the dividing line between the two countries: two electrified barriers with a blue sign reading “Safe Travels.”

The scene on the Guatemalan side was captured by a citizen with their cellphone. In the video, the criminals are seen waiting for the police by two trucks, one white and another black, both facing the Mexican side. About four men dressed in civilian clothes with long weapons surround the only armored vehicle of the Mexican police that had managed to catch up. The men yell and aim their rifles at the police vehicle, which remains parked about ten meters from the border line. All this occurs before a group of Guatemalan police officers who watch, unflinchingly, the situation.

One of the armed civilians approaches the Mexican police vehicle and opens the driver’s door. A Guatemalan police officer seems to give him directions, pointing toward the border line. The armed civilian approaches again and aims his rifle at the patrol driver. The driver manages to close the door when, suddenly, another police truck approaches, crossing the security barrier. Seconds later, another police truck collides with the civilians’ black vehicle, and a shootout begins.

In one part of the video, it shows how the bullets hit the armored windshield of the first Mexican police vehicle, precisely at head level of the driver. For a few seconds, the footage shows the opposite angle, revealing a police patrol on the shooters’ side with “Huehuetenango” in yellow letters on its roof.

In another video that is also circulating on social media, it shows that on the shooters’ side there is a military vehicle caught in the crossfire between the civilians and the Mexican police patrols. At no point is it seen that the Guatemalan uniformed officers do anything to stop it. There is no record of when the Mexican patrols withdrew, but it is known that they eventually did so without casualties.

A “confusing” event

This incident occurs six days after the brutal murder of five state police officers near ejido Sabinalito, in Frontera Comalapa. The agents were found burned inside a patrol car, and around 700 bullet casings were collected at the scene.

After that massacre, the governor of Chiapas promised a “strong” response, leading to the deployment of a thousand personnel between police and military. Since then, Frontera has been the scene of intense operations. Mexican authorities reported that at the site of the first confrontation on the Mexican side, they seized three AK-47 rifles and one AR-15 rifle equipped with a grenade launcher.

During the press conference held this morning, the Guatemalan Defense Minister assured that the soldiers who were observing the confrontation between Mexican police and Guatemalan civilians were there by chance and not because they arrived to offer support in the emergency. “They were on a routine reconnaissance patrol and were in the process of transitioning from one reconnaissance point to another, fortuitously arriving at the situation. As the exchange of gunfire developed, a confusing environment was created, leading to the decision not to involve themselves to avoid casualties among our civilian population,” he said in the conference.

For his part, in response to persistent media questions regarding the accusations from the Chiapas governor, Minister Jiménez defended himself by recalling the exodus of Mexicans who fled to Guatemala due to the drug war last year. “Back in July, due to the drug cartels, over 500 people and whole families crossed into Guatemalan territory. According to Mexican citizens, they felt safe and protected by the security forces in Guatemala. They did not want to return immediately. They felt protected,” he added. The border between Mexico and Guatemala had seen nearly six months of relative calm, which seems to be evaporating now.