COURT CONVICTS FORMER NATIONAL CIVIL POLICE DIRECTOR OF DRUG THEFT
5 other officers were also found guilty

Guatemala, September 30, 2013. Today, High-Risk Trial Court B sentenced former Police Chief of the National Civil Police (PNC), Baltazar Gómez Barrios, and two of his subordinates to 16 years in prison. In addition, the other 16 accused individuals—13 of whom formed part of a criminal structure—were issued prison sentences ranging from 1 to 61 years in length. These 19 individuals were convicted of participating in the theft of drugs from a drug trafficking organization (Amatitlán Case).

The sentences were as follows:

1. Baltazar Gómez Barrios, former Chief of Police—16 years in prison, and the payment of a GTQ 50,000 fine, for illegal trade, trafficking and storage.
2. Nelly Judith Bonilla Estrada, Deputy Chief of Police—16 years in prison, and the payment of a GTQ 50,000 fine, for illegal trade, trafficking and storage.
3. Fernando Antonio Carrillo García, police corporal—16 years in prison, and the payment of a GTQ 50,000 fine, for illegal trade, trafficking and storage.
4. William Leonel Florez Pérez, police officer—15 months in prison for the illegal searching of premises.
5. Sergio Aníbal Ramos Zabaleta, police officer—15 months in prison for the illegal searching of premises.
6. César Augusto Sánchez Lajuj, police officer—15 months in prison for the illegal searching of premises.
7. Ana Teresa Tubac Pérez—3 years in prison for impeding the clarification of events.
8. Flor de María Ayala Tello—3 years in prison for impeding the clarification of events.
9. Erick Renato Linares Cordón—3 years in prison for impeding the clarification of events.
10. Luis Roberto González Berreondo—8 years in prison for criminal association and 20 years in prison for the overlapping offence of illegal possession of firearms.
11. Elías Danilo Barrientos Figueroa—8 years in prison for criminal association and 20 years in prison for the overlapping offence of illegal possession of firearms.
12. Hugo Rolando López García—8 years in prison for criminal association and 20 years in prison for the overlapping offence of illegal possession of firearms.
13. Vinicio Soel Toledo Meneses—8 years in prison, and the payment of a GTQ 50,000 fine, for illegal trade, trafficking and storage.
14. Francisco José Fernández Herrera—8 years in prison, and the payment of a GTQ 50,000 fine, for illegal trade, trafficking and storage.
15. Iván Vinicio González Ayala—42 years in prison on charges of criminal association, illegal possession and storage of firearms and ammunition.
16. Victoria Elizabeth Hernández Godoy—8 years in prison for criminal association.
17. Daniel Isaac Graves—8 years in prison for criminal association; 18 years in prison for illegal trade, trafficking and storage; 5 years in prison of the illegal use of uniforms and insignia; 3 years in prison for aggravated assault; and 24 years in prison for the overlapping offence of illegal possession of firearms. He must also pay a fine of GTQ 1,000,000.
18. Pedro Romero López—8 years in prison for criminal association and 5 years in prison for illegal use of uniforms and insignia.
19. Héctor Sierra Ramírez—8 years in prison for criminal association and 2 years in prison for illegal trade, trafficking and storage.

The three judges of the court admitted the evidence filed by the Public Prosecutor's Office (MP) and the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG). During the trial proceedings, the MP and CICIG presented 381 pieces of evidence, including statements made by 48 witnesses, expert opinions, audiovisual evidence, ballistics reports, financial reports and documentation found at the houses of a number of the accused linking them to a criminal organization involved in the trafficking of arms and drugs.

The case
The investigation established that a group of high-ranking police officers within the Analysis and Antinarcotics Division (DAIA)—including Baltazar Gómez—allegedly stole an undisclosed quantity of drugs from drug traffickers. The events took place on April 24, 2009 at a complex of warehouses at Kilometer 30.5, located in the municipality of Amatitlán, where the criminal organization had its operations hub and also stored drugs, arms and stolen vehicles.

On that day, a group of police officers arrived at the scene, entered illegally, and stole part of the drugs. This provoked an armed confrontation between the drug traffickers and the officers, five of whom were killed. Subsequently, after order was restored, the authorities seized 370 kilos of drugs and an arsenal of weapons from the warehouses.

Police Chief Báltazar Gómez and the above-mentioned officers used State power and State machinery to conduct criminal activities and create impunity for actions which they knew were illegal.

On September 19, 2013, High-Risk Court A of the First Instance ordered that Melvin Antonio Castillo Pineda (a former National Civil Police [PNC] inspector) be prosecuted and remanded in custody for his alleged involvement in the theft of drugs.

CICIG acts as a complementary prosecutor in these criminal proceedings.