Guatemala: Two Arrested for Drug Trafficking May Face Extradition

Published: 24 March 2014

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A Mexican citizen and a Honduran, arrested Saturday night in Guatemala City and wanted by the United States on drug trafficking charges, may face extradition.

  Screen_Shot_2014-03-24_at_1.23.56_PMMexican citizen Gregorio Ramirez, 48, and Honduran Francisco Inestroza, 30, were arrested at a restaurant in an exclusive area in the city’s south, said a statement released by the police. 

El Heraldo reports that Ramirez and Inestroza are wanted by the U.S. government in connection with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute cocaine. 

According to the police report cited by Terra, a local news organization, Inestroza was in charge of transporting the cocaine from Ecuador and Colombia into Mexico, while Ramirez moved the drugs into the United States. 

Police say Guatemala has been infiltrated by Mexican cartels, including the Sinaloa and Los Zetas, who traffic drugs with the help of local drug lords. Authorities estimate that nearly half of the 6,000 violent deaths in Guatemala each year are associated with drug trafficking and gang warfare.