Aldo Duppie Ochoa Mejia — known as the ‘Wolf’ — was identified as someone who kicked off riots that eventually seized control of the prison, but things have quickly shifted back
A prison gang leader has briefly overthrown the authorities running the jail he is currently housed in. During his time in power, he is believed to have demanded air conditioning and a king-sized bed for his cell.
Aldo Duppie Ochoa Mejia, also known as the Wolf, is a gang leader of a notorious and bloodthirsty clan in Guatemala. However, despite being locked up, the Wolf still holds a lot of influence due to his power within prisons.
On Saturday (January 17), huge riots erupted across three jails in the country. Ultimately, dozens of prison guards lost control and were held by inmates with the Wolf being swept into power at the behest of his fellow lags.
Mejia was identified by Guatemala’s Interior Minister Marco Antonio Villeda as the ringleader of the riots that resulted in a total of 46 guards being held. Heading up the notorious Barrio 18 gang, Villeda said that the Wolf was making bizarre demands to bring order back to the prisons.
“Barrio 18’s leader wants to be moved to another jail,” Villeda said in a statement about how the prison riots broke out. “His demands also include the installation of air conditioning and a kingsize bed in his cell and the delivery of food from certain restaurants and other privileges we are not prepared to give him.
“In Guatemala there is no negotiations with terrorists or organised crime,” he added. “Nor do we tolerate groups that have sewn violence seeking to impose conditions.”
Barrio 18 is one of the most well-known gangs in Guatemala, known for its huge love of violence and intimidation on the streets of the country. However, it is not just Guatemala which is suffering, as the gang has also spread to neighbouring El Salvador and Honduras.
The gang is so prominent that US officials designated it as a “foreign terrorist organisation” back in September. Washington said it was proscribing the group as a way to keep drugs off American streets in the hopes of disrupting their revenue.
The 46 members of staff — including one psychologist — have been taken hostage across three jails which overpowered the authorities. But in a new update on Sunday (January 18), Guatemala’s National Civil Police that the prison had been seized and was back in the hands of the government.
In a post on social media, guards could be seen standing over prisoners whilst they were laying on the ground, some were seem completely bloodied as a result of their attempts to maintain power. Adding a caption, the force said: “The National Civil Police have regained control of the Renovación I prison in Escuintla and have freed the guards who were taken hostage.
“The top leader of the Barrio 18 gang, alias “Wolf”, is currently being neutralized. This operation is ongoing. More details to follow.”
This is not the first time, however, that Barrio 18 has attempted to stage an uprising, after riots in two prisons were caused to demand the return of 10 high-profile figures who had been in the gang. These leaders had been sent to solitary confinement in another jail, but their protests ultimately went unanswered.
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