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Top Guatemala police officials arrested on drug charges

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] Guatemalan authorities have arrested two high-ranking police officials leading the country's war on drugs on charges of corruption and drug trafficking, Guatemalan Attorney General Amilcar Velasquez announced Tuesday. Police Chief Baltazar Gonzalez and anti-narcotics official Nelly Bonilla were arrested Tuesday in connection with a drug-related shoot-out last year between drug traffickers and a gang of police accused of stealing large quantities of cocaine for profit. An 11-month investigation by the International Commission Against Impunity (CICIG) in collaboration with the prosecutor's office led to the arrests only a few days before US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton will visit the country to discuss the country's ongoing efforts to combat the drug trade. On Monday, the US State Department released its 2010 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report, which highlighted Guatemala as a key player in the Latin American drug trade. One of the biggest problems in the country is the corruption among high-ranking officials. Previous police chief Porfirio Perez was arrested on similar drug charges last year. In January, Guatemalan authorities issued an arrest warrant for former president Alfonso Portillo, after the US government requested his extradition to face charges of money laundering. Portillo was extradited in 2008 from Mexico to Guatemala, where he is accused of authorizing transfers of $15.8 million from the budget of the Guatemalan Ministry of Defense during his presidency from 2000 to 2004.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on March 04, 2010 (boomark / email).