Unreported World

Bus drivers in Guatemala City are being murdered at a rate of one every other day as part of a campaign of extortion that threatens to bring the city to its knees. Extortion is the main source of income for Guatemala's criminal gangs, earning them millions of dollars a year, and the drivers are killed to instil fear as the gangs maintain their grip on the city.

Reporter Seyi Rhodes and director Matt Haan begin their journey at Santa Rosa on the outskirts of the city. A bus driver has been shot at nine in the morning. The family have already arrived at the scene and are distraught. The bus company owner says he doesn't know why his driver was shot, but eight other divers have been killed on the same route in the last year.

The following morning, the team hears that a bus company in the north of the city has called a strike. One of their drivers was shot and they hope the strike will put pressure on the government to provide more armed guards on the buses. Rhodes and Haan visit the driver in hospital. Despite being shot nine times in the attack, he survived. He says that every Monday he pays the equivalent of 40 US dollars in extortion money to the gangs and so has no idea why they would shoot him.

Luis Gomez, the head of the inner city bus association, explains that the extortion of buses began nine years ago. The gangs send mobile phones to the bus drivers or company owners, which they then call, demanding payment. He says that there are two main gangs in Guatemala: Mara Salvatrucha and Gang 18. Over the years, these gangs have evolved into highly organised criminal networks, which infiltrate the bus companies in order to protect their interests.

The crew arrive at the scene of another bus shooting, where the driver's wife passes out when she realises what has happened. The driver's colleagues are so angry they block Calle Martí, one of the main routes out of Guatemala City, in protest. The result is total chaos.

Extortion is so lucrative for the gangs they don't stop at the bus companies. Practically any business in Guatemala City is a target. The team meet two businessmen who have received death threats from Mara Salvatrucha. One wants to flee the country because he's so terrified for his family's safety. The men have found out that the man responsible for attempting to extort them is actually in prison.

That weekend, the team hear that El Boquerón, one of the two main prisons in Guatemala City, has been raided. Eddie Morales, the director of prisons in Guatemala, gives the team exclusive access to what the raids confiscated: grenades, guns, mobile phones and cash, all used by the gangs to run their extortion rackets.

A former gang member, JJ, takes the crew round the neighbourhood he used to control for his gang. Every business was pressurised into paying extortion money. If they didn't comply, they would be killed. He thinks that ordinary people in Guatemala have to pay three taxes: one to each of the main gangs and then one to the government. As a result, many go bankrupt.

The real strength of the gangs then becomes apparent. In direct retaliation to the raids on El Boquerón prison, the bodyguard of one of the country's most senior law enforcers is assassinated. Guatemala's gangs are evolving. They're extending their influence into all areas of life, from business to the law. The authorities appear powerless to stop what is happening.

This is confirmed at the funeral of the driver killed at the start of the team's investigation. His widow explains that they had been married for just 10 days before her husband was murdered. She believes there's nothing the government can do to end this culture of violence that has become part of everyday life in Guatemala City. Extortion is expected and murder accepted.

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Clips from Episode 15

• Traffic Jam

• All Clips (1)