Generators have reported energy theft, kidnapping from substations, staff being held hostage and looting of equipment and facilities.
Calling on the authorities and the Public Ministry to implement measures to combat insecurity and act against the "anti-projects" groups who are opposing the operation of power plants in various parts of the country, representatives from the sector reported that in the renewable energy category alone, these conflicting groups are holding up 12 projects in Huehuetenango, Alta Verapaz and Zacapa, with a total generating capacity of 355 megawatts.
Drug trafficking and gangs are the main factors responsible for intentional murders in the most violent countries in the world: Honduras, Belize, El Salvador and Guatemala.
According to a report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime at the United Nations (UNODC), in 2012 Honduras recorded 90.4 killings per 100,000 inhabitants.
In Belize, the homicide rate is 44.7 per 100 thousand inhabitants, in El Salvador it is 41.2, and in Guatemala is 39.9.
Guatemalan agricultural employers spend $300 million on private security representing between 12% and 16% of their budgets.
Prensalibre.com reports that "the Chamber of Agriculture (Camagro) reported that during 2013 there was an increase in criminal acts such as kidnappings, threats and extortions against their workers, as well as the theft and destruction of private property ... "
The majority of Central American nations are perceived as being the most corrupt in Latin America.
The Index of Corruption Perception created by Transparency International, ranks Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua in the list of countries perceived as the most corrupt.
Honduras is ranked at number 140, while Nicaragua and Guatemala are located in positions 127 and 123, respectively.
Employers indicate that smuggling is unfair competition for industry and commerce, and a source of funding for organized crime.
From an opinion piece by CACIF:
"Smuggling has become a national security problem, because it is a source of funding for organized crime, unfair competition for industry and commerce, threatens consumer health, affects tax revenues for the State and also reduces the opportunities for formal employment in our country.
Prosecutors in the interior would rather not know about high-impact cases, and there are judges who do not want to rule on them for fear of reprisals.
Added to this are other problems being faced by prosecutors of the Public Ministry (PM) within the country such as lack of security, space and backlogs.
For prosecutors, who preferred anonymity, the main fear are the threats and attacks by organized criminals .
President Perez Molina is betting on modern technology in immigration control and movement of goods to prevent and combat crime.
From a press release issued by the Government of Panama:
President Otto Perez Molina referred to the key role of technology in security and the fight against crime and reaffirmed the government's commitment to modernize the institutions of crime prosecution and strengthen the country's justice system.
World Bank statistics show that every day, about $1.3 billion are paid in bribes related to state contracts.
The figures were mentioned by Michael Kramer, a consultant at the entity, who is taking part in the forum "Preventing and combating corruption and collusion in public procurements", taking place in Panama.
"... In addition to cash bribes for the award of contracts in recent years the practice has spread to awarding projects to companies created by officials," reported Prensa.com. Sometimes they are consultancies or suppliers that have no references or physical offices.
A survey of 355 tourism companies and hotels points to the cost of power and insecurity as the main obstacles for the tourism sector.
Hotel occupancy in 2012 was 52%, down 3% compared to the figures reported in 2011. The survey conducted by the Association for Research and Social Studies (ASIES) reveals that 71% of operators did not have their expectations met last year regarding the number of tourists expected for Oxlajuj Baktun.
An ECLAC study has revealed that companies in Guatemala and El Salvador pay the highest costs because of organized crime in Latin America.
According to data from the Global Competitiveness Index 2012-13, analyzed by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), in its report on safety in the logistics sector in the region, Guatemala has a score of 1.86, on a scale of 1 to 7, regarding the influence of crime and violence in operating costs of enterprises, where 1 is "very much" and 7 means "nothing".
The phenomenon affects much of Latin America, whose countries spend on average 8% of their GDP on security costs.
That was the conclusion reached during the forum "Connecting businesses as partners for prosperity with security in the Americas", organized by the Organization of American States (OAS) and the private sector, under the framework of the Guatemala Investment Summit.
The global total for money laundering is between 2% and 5% of global GDP, "because illegal proceeds can be transferred easily and instantly from one jurisdiction to another."
In his discussion in an article in Americaeconomia.com, David Santa Cruz describes not only how money from criminal activities has permeated ALL of the economies of the world, but also how national development strategies in many states are adapting to the phenomenon.
Employers indicate that the cost of paying extortion fees on productive or commercial activities, can amount to up to 1% of sales.
S21.com.gt reports that "The country's industrialists have declared taken their concerns to the Minister of the Interior where they reported being victims of extortion and theft and a killing spree that is maintaining a 'climate of anxiety' in the country, said Javier Zepeda, president of the Chamber of Industry (CIG by its initials in Spanish). "
Criminal activities in Central America cause a loss of $900 million for regional trade, said the Federation of the Chambers of Commerce of Central America.
In El Salvador, $600 million was lost due to armed robberies, and in Honduras, the figure is $150 million a year, reported merchants from the isthmus .
Among the criminal activities that affect trade are "the constant assaults suffered by vehicles carrying loads and goods through the region", reported an article in Pueblo en Línea, the Spanish version of The People's Daily, the official Chinese newspaper.
While other Central American countries are preparing taxes to combat insecurity, Nicaragua declares that it is not an appropriate option.
The president of Guatemala, Alvaro Colom, proposed to his peers in the isthmus region the creation of specific tax to combat organized crime and the violence it generates.
Although the proposal didn’t prosper at the meeting of the Council of Finance Ministers and Central Finance, both Costa Rica, El Salvador and Honduras are working on the implementation of a national tax for their own security plans.