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Guatemalan presidential candidate arrested in Miami for drug-trafficking plot

GeneralGuatemalan presidential candidate arrested in Miami for drug-trafficking plot

BELIZE CITY, Tues. Apr. 23, 2019– Mario Estrada, a Guatemalan presidential candidate of the center right National Charge Union, was nabbed by US authorities in Miami, Florida and charged in connection with a massive plot to import cocaine into the United States through the Sinaloa, Mexican drug cartel. The US indictment is also alleging that Estrada had plans to assassinate his political rivals.

Estrada was arrested last Wednesday, April 17, along with another man, Pablo Gonzalez, a mere two months before Guatemalans are scheduled to vote in presidential elections.

Reports are that the two were seeking between $10 and $12 million from the Sinaloa Cartel to fund his campaign for the presidency. In exchange for the money from the drug cartel, Estrada had plans to use Guatemala to smuggle drugs into the US. Estrada reportedly lags far behind in the presidential race, which he had entered for the fourth time.

Reuters News Agency quoted Geoffrey Berman, US attorney for the Southern District of New York, as saying, “Estrada and Gonzalez conspired to solicit Sinaloa Cartel money to finance a corrupt scheme to elect Estrada president of Guatemala.”

Berman said that the two had promised that if Estrada was elected on June 16, he would have helped the cartel transport the drugs through Guatemala’s ports and airports.

The two also reportedly had conspired to kill Estrada’s political rivals, although no names of the rivals were provided in the US report.

According to Reuters, the two have been meeting in Miami and Guatemala to work on their plot since January, and there are both video and audio recordings of the plot.

“U.S. officials said the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency assisted with the investigation, as well as the Guatemalan government,” said the Reuters report.

Estrada, 58, a former congressman, has less than 3 percent support, a recent survey has determined. His party, The National Charge Union, holds 6 seats in the 158-member Guatemalan Congress.

The two could face up to life in prison, if they are convicted of the previously mentioned charges, and also weapons chargers.

Alfredo Brito, a spokesman for Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales, told Reuters the government would provide Estrada with the support needed to ensure his rights were respected “just like any Guatemalan citizen.”

Reuters reported that Brito would not specify what role the Guatemalan government played in the investigation.

The presidential race is reportedly being led by Thelma Aldana, a former attorney general for whom an arrest warrant has been issued by a Guatemalan judge. Aldana, who is presently in El Salvador, but plans to return to Guatemala, is wanted on charges of embezzlement, lying and tax fraud. Other leaders in the race for the presidency are Zury Rios, daughter of former dictator Rios Montt, who was convicted of genocide and crimes against humanity, and former first lady, Sandra Torres.  Torres, 63, has Belizean roots and is said to be a strong contender in the race.

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