Mar 02, 2010

Guatemala's top cop, drug czar accused of trafficking

05:52 PM

For the second time in six months, Guatemala's national police chief has been arrested for alleged involvement with drug trafficking. The country's anti-drug czar and another official are also in custody.

Police Chief Baltazar Gonzalez, anti-drug czar Nelly Bonilla and an unidentified official were detained earlier today for allegedly being linked to a March 20099 cocaine heist that resulted in the deaths of five police agents, the Associated Press writes. None has yet been charged, according to Attorney General Amilcar Velasquez.

In September, Gonzalez's predecessor, Porfirio Perez, was charged with stealing $300,000 from smugglers and is awaiting trial.

Sunday, President Alvaro Colom fired Interior Minister Raul Velasquez for signing a $6.2 million contract with a private company to buy fuel for the country's national police. Authorities say the company embezzled the money, but Velasquez was not charged with any wrongdoing.

All this is bad/coincidental/good timing for Colom, a leftist. He's scheduled to discuss the drug war with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton later this week when she visits Guatemala.

http://content.usatoday.com/communities ... fficking/1