Guatemalan mayor extradited to U.S. on cocaine trafficking charge

A former mayor in Guatemala has been extradited to the United States to face charges of conspiring to traffic cocaine destined for U.S. markets, the Justice Department announced.

Romeo Ramos Cruz, 57, appeared in federal court in Washington, D.C., on Monday following his extradition from Guatemala.

Cruz is charged with one count of conspiracy to import more than five kilograms of cocaine into the United States, a crime punishable by up to life in prison.

Prosecutors allege that between 2022 and 2024, Ramos Cruz served as a key member of a Guatemala-based drug trafficking organization while holding public office as mayor of Santa Lucia in the Escuintla Department.

Cruz is accused of exploiting his position to help coordinate logistics for cocaine shipments bound for the U.S., including arranging transportation and using his official authority to shield operations from scrutiny.

In one instance, prosecutors say, Ramos Cruz agreed to disguise a shipment of cocaine from Venezuela to Guatemala as a delivery of cement. He allegedly prepared an official municipal letter intended to help the shipment avoid inspection by Guatemalan authorities.

The FBI’s Washington Field Office led the investigation with assistance from the DEA’s Miami Division and Homeland Security Investigations in New Orleans. The Justice Department said Guatemalan law enforcement, INTERPOL, and U.S. officials worked together to secure his arrest and extradition.