Guatemala's presidential election takes place next month on June 16th and voters can choose from over 20 presidential candidates. But tonight there is one less: 58 year old former congressman Mario Estrada has been arrested in Miami on drug and weapons charges, accused of plotting to assassinate political rivals and to let drug dealers use Guatemala's ports and airports if elected.
Estrada and an alleged accomplice appeared today without an attorney before a federal magistrate in Miami. The US attorney in New York says, quote, "Estrada and Gonzalez conspired to solicit Sinaloa Cartel money to finance a corrupt scheme to elect Estrada president of Guatemala…In return, the two allegedly promised to assist the cartel in using Guatemalan ports and airports to export tons of cocaine into the U.S."
The allegation also says that Estrada and Gonzalez attempted to arrange the assassinations of political rivals."
The case was put together by the DEA which learned that there were efforts to secure 12 million US dollars in financing from international drug cartels to support Estrada's presidential campaign.
Both men were charged with conspiring to import cocaine into the United States and a related weapons offense.
If convicted, Estrada and González Mayorga could face a sentence of ten years to life imprisonment, said the Prosecutor's Office of the Southern District of Manhattan.
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