WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A Corrupt Guatemalan Mayor has been extradited to the United States on drug trafficking conspiracy charge.
Romeo Ramos Cruz, who was the mayor of Santa Lucia municipality, made his initial appearance in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia following his extradition from Guatemala on Monday.
Ramos Cruz, 57, is charged with one count of conspiracy to import more than five kilograms of cocaine into the United States from Guatemala.
According to court documents, from 2022 through 2024, Ramos Cruz served as a key member of a Guatemala-based drug trafficking organization transporting cocaine bound for U.S. markets. During this time, as the mayor of Santa Lucia, he exploited his official position to facilitate the organization's operations. Ramos Cruz used his authority and access to coordinate logistics and transportation of cocaine shipments destined for the United States. In one instance, he agreed to help disguise a shipment of cocaine from Venezuela to Guatemala as a delivery of cement. He also prepared a letter on official municipal letterhead to help the shipment evade inspection by Guatemalan authorities, the Department of Justice said.
If convicted, Ramos Cruz faces life in prison.
The FBI Washington Field Office led U.S. investigation with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration Miami Division and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations New Orleans Field Office.
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