BELMOPAN, Fri. Aug. 15, 2020– An investigation into an incident of vandalism, in which a wall of the Belmopan Nazarene Church building and benches in the nearby park, as well as other structures in Belmopan, were spray-painted with gang insignia, led police to a member of the MS13 gang.

Police arrested a Guatemalan, Hector Teul Gutierrez, 20, a laborer of Salvapan, Belmopan, and charged him with damage to property and using identifying signs to promote gang-related activities.

Gutierrez was also charged with failure to present documents to prove he is in the country legally. He has since been detained pending arraignment in the Belmopan Magistrate’s Court.

Failure to provide a visitor’s permit carries a fine of $1,000, and Gutierrez, if found guilty, would have to pay this fine immediately, after which he would be deported back to his country of origin. If he cannot pay the fine, he will have to serve six months in prison, after which he will be deported.

MS13 is a criminal gang that originated in Salvador, and members of the gang are known for their cruelty. The machete, instead of a gun, is their weapon of choice, when they execute or injure their enemies.

The gang has taken roots in Central America and the United States. It is not yet known if the gang is rearing its ugly head now in the Belmopan area.