Four police officers detained for extorting Cuban migrants in Guatemala.

Four elements of the National Civil Police (PNC) of Guatemala were detained for being linked to cases of extortion against migrants using the country as a transit to reach the United States, including several Cubans.

The detainees were captured by agents of the General Inspectorate of the PNC. At the time of the arrest, the police had extorted nine migrants and were asking for 100 dollars from each one, local media reported.

Among the migrants were seven Cubans and two Venezuelans, including an eight-year-old girl.

The migrants were being transported on a Pullman bus heading to the Tecún Umán border, San Marcos.

PNC stated in a statement that they proceeded following an anonymous tip received at the Police Anti-Corruption Center. They assured that this information was already being investigated by the police themselves.

"Based on the surveillance, the actions of four bad elements are documented, and upon observing the possibility of evidence that allows for judicial proceedings, the presence of the Public Prosecutor's Office is requested, who identify each of the suspects, while internally the process to remove them from the police begins, in addition to expanding the investigations into these individuals who have dishonored their name and surname," they reported in their text.

They also noted that "the National Civil Police is the only institution that constantly self-purifies, which confirms the firm commitment not to tolerate acts of corruption and actions contrary to the law."

Although the migrants were not identified, their cases must have been referred to the competent authorities to assess their situation in the country.

Extortion and violence are common elements for migrants on their way to the southern border of the United States.

Last year, a video shared on social media warned of the presence of criminal groups at various points on Mexican highways where buses with migrants travel.

Videos recorded from a bus showed what appears to be one of these fake checkpoints set up by the supposed "authorities" in Mexico. Shared through the Facebook group 'CBP ONE ayuda información latinos', one can hear the voice of a passenger describing the "bribe" mechanism used by the fake federal police.

Also, 13 Cuban migrants reported an attempted extortion by officials from the National Institute of Migration (INM) in Tapachula, in southern Mexico, in December of last year.