News on Guatemala

Guatemala court okays ex-president's extradition to US

2010-03-18T00:16:30Z

<div><p>A Guatemalan criminal court authorized the extradition of ex-president Alfonso Portillo to the United States, where he faces money laundering charges.</p><p>"This court finds the US government's extradition request against Alfonso Portillo, accused of crimes of conspiracy to engage in money laundering, will go ahead," the Fifth Sentencing Cour...

Guatemala to resume int'l adoptions in June

2010-03-17T14:32:37Z

<div id="subtitle">Guatemala to resume international adoptions in June after 2-year suspension due to baby sales</div><div><p>International adoptions will resume in Guatemala this June after a nearly two-year suspension prompted by the discovery that some babies were being sold, officials announced Wednesday.</p><p>Four foreign adoption organizations will be selected to be part of the pilot program, said the pr...

Guatemala closer to extraditing ex-president to US

2010-03-09T17:00:35Z

<div id="subtitle">Guatemala moves closer to extraditing former president to US to face money laundering charges</div><div><p>Guatemala is a step closer to extraditing former President Alfonso Portillo to the United States to face money laundering charges.</p><p>Chief prosecutor US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton admitted Friday that US demand is "part of the problem" fuelling Central America's drug wars and pledged more help in fighting ruthless Mexican cartels.</p><p>Visiting here two days after the arrests of two top Guatemalan police chiefs on drug trafficking and murder charges, Clinton and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived here Friday for talks with Central American leaders on stemming drug trafficking linked to ruthless Mexican cartels.</p><p>Two days after the arrests of two top Guatemalan police chiefs on drug trafficking and murder charges, Clinton is stressing the need to fight the corruption that undermines the counter-narcotics effort.</p><p>Clinton has welc...

Clinton Latin America

2010-03-05T13:01:47Z

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham and Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom are seen at the National Palace of Culture in Guatemala City, Guatemala, Friday, March 5, 2010. (AP Photo/United States is fueling drug violence in Central America, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Friday, acknowledging a measure of U.S....

Clinton pledges Central America help on drug fight

2010-03-05T12:20:19Z

<div><p>GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Friday pledged more U.S. help for Central America's fight against drug cartels, saying the United States was part of the problem as trafficking and violence spread.<...

Guatemala arrests show drug corruption to the core

2010-03-03T15:03:15Z

<div id="subtitle">Guatemala arrests show how drug cartels target weak nations, threaten global security</div><div><p>The arrests of Guatemala's drug czar and national police chief underscore how deeply the world's multibillion-dollar drug industry can corrupt small countries with weak institutions — a trend the Obama administration warned Wednesday threatens global s...

Guatemala arrests national police chief, drug czar

2010-03-02T20:45:20Z

<div id="subtitle">Guatemala arrests nation's police chief, anti-drug czar in case tied to cocaine, police deaths</div><div><p>Authorities arrested Guatemala's anti-drug czar and national police chief Tuesday in a case involving stolen cocaine and slain police, acting just two days before U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton arrives to discuss the drug...

Guatemala police chief, drug czar arrested for drugs, murder

2010-03-02T16:15:47Z

<div><p>Guatemala's police chief and top anti-drug officer were arrested Tuesday for suspected links to drug traffickers and the murder of five policemen, an official source told AFP.</p><p>Police chief Baltazar Gomez and anti-drug division head Nelly Bonilla were arrested Tuesday during an "investigation i...

Guatemala digs up graves in search for disappeared

2010-02-26T14:00:29Z

<div id="subtitle">Guatemala digs up mass graves in hopes of finding hundreds of disappeared from civil war</div><div><p>Guatemalan authorities have begun digging up mass graves at a cemetery where hundreds of people who disappeared during the Central American country's civil war are believed buried.</p><p>An official from the Reuters) - A moderate 5.6 magnitude earthquake shook Guatemala early on Tuesday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.</p><p>The quake hit at 4:52 a.m. local time (1052 GMT) at a depth of 4.5 miles, centered 51 miles north northeast of Huehuetenago, and 106 miles n...

Guatemala cops destroy 1,200 acres of poppy plants

2010-02-22T11:08:24Z

<div id="subtitle">Guatemalan police destroy 1,200 acres of opium poppy plants along border with Mexico</div><div><p>Guatemalan police say they have destroyed about 1,200 acres (500 hectares) of opium poppies along the border with Mexico.</p><p>National police spokesman Donald Gonzalez says about 250 police o...

Ex-Guatemalan leader arrested after US request

2010-02-22T14:25:33Z

<div><p>Former Guatemalan leader Alfonso Portillo was arrested following a US extradition request related to charges of money-laundering during his 2000-2004 presidency, officials said.</p><p>Two days after police searched for him at two homes in Guatemala City, Portillo, 58, was tracked down at the northeastern beach...

Ex-Guatemalan leader arrested after US extradition request

2010-02-22T14:29:13Z

<div><p>Former Guatemalan leader Alfonso Portillo was arrested Tuesday following a US extradition request related to charges of money-laundering during his 2000-2004 presidency, officials said.</p><p>Two days after police searched for him at two homes in Guatemala City, Portillo, 58, was tracked down at the northeaster...

Ex-Guatemalan leader Portillo is charged in US

2010-02-22T15:11:46Z

<div id="subtitle">US prosecutors charge former Guatemalan President Portillo with money laundering</div><div><p>Alfonso Portillo, the fugitive former president of Guatemala, was charged in the United States on Monday with using foreign banks to launder millions of dollar...

Find of huge Mayan head suggests significant city

2010-02-22T15:06:22Z

<div><p>GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - Archeologists have discovered a huge Mayan sculptured head in Guatemala that suggests a little-known site in the jungle-covered Peten region may once have been a significant city.</p><p>The stucco sculpture, which is 10 feet wide and 11.5 feet tall, was buried for centuries at the Chilonche r...

Guatemala will pay $3 million to massacre victims

2010-02-23T12:46:19Z

<div><p>GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - Guatemala will pay $3 million to compensate victims of a civil war-era massacre in order to comply with an international court ruling, the nation's human rights chief said on Monday.</p><p>The ...

Bus drivers fall victim to brutal Guatemalan gangs

2010-02-23T13:13:18Z

<div id="subtitle">Guatemalan gangs extort, murder bus drivers to build country's organized crime rackets</div><div><p>Bus driver Mynor Gonzalez ignored the threats: "200 quetzales a week, or we'll kill you." He knew drivers who didn't pay the roughly $24 "protection" fee had been murdered, but always on other routes. He knew his job — once considered secure and well-paying for