Guatemala's government has told Al Jazeera that drug cartels have penetrated at least one-third of the country, following a crackdown on gangs in Mexico. <br /><br />Trafficking and violence have increased in the northern triangle of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, which have witnessed a sharp rise in Mexican gang activity. <br /><br />A history of civil strife, instability and corruption has made the region extremely vulnerable. <br /><br />Guatemala's murder rate is at least double that of Mexico's, and each year, between 250 and 350 tonnes of cocaine are reported to pass through the country. In the first of a series of reports about drugs in Central America, Al Jazeera's Lucia Newman explains how Guatemalan authorities are battling the cartels.
