WASHINGTON, July 27 -- The U.S. Department of Justice's Criminal Division issued the following news release:
A former Guatemalan mayor, Romeo Ramos Cruz, 58, pleaded guilty today to one count of conspiracy to import more than five kilograms of cocaine into the United States. Ramos Cruz arrived in the United States on Aug. 4, 2025, following extradition from Guatemala, where he had been detained at the request of the United States.
According to court documents, from 2022 through 2023, Ramos Cruz served as a member of a Guatemala-based drug trafficking organization responsible for transporting cocaine intended for U.S. markets. During this time, Ramos Cruz served as the mayor of Santa Lucia municipality in Guatemala's Escuintla Department a...