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| Caribbean-Latin America |
| Guatemalan drug gangs concern US |
| 2005-11-23 |
| Guatemala needs to fight the growing power of drug gangs or it could become a "mini Colombia", the US Drugs Enforcement Administration has warned. The DEA representative in Guatemala, Michael O'Brien, said that the agency was worried about the situation. He added that drug gangs were attempting to influence the public and the Guatemalan government. Last week, the country's top anti-drugs official, Adan Castillo, was arrested in the US on drug trafficking charges. Experts say that 75% of the cocaine smuggled to the US passes through Guatemala. The government there has said that investigators need more powers to deal with the problem. "If they don't change things, they could have a mini-Colombia here," Michael O'Brien told reporters in Guatemala City. After the arrest of Mr Castillo last week, Interior Minister Carlos Vielman acknowledged that drug-traffickers have infiltrated the state. He said the anti-drugs force will be completely overhauled and possibly replaced altogether. Mr Castillo, who is accused of conspiring to import and distribute cocaine in the United States, was detained after arriving in the state of Virginia. Two other top officials were also held. |
| Posted by:Steve |