COURT SENTENCES POLICE CHIEFS AND OFFICERS TO 18 YEARS IN PRISON FOR FUEL SMUGGLING

Guatemala, January 17, 2013. Today, Court A of the First Criminal Instance for High-risk Matters convicted nine members of the National Civil Police (PNC) to 18 years in prison, including police chiefs, inspectors and officers, all of whom are accused of smuggling gasoline since 2008.

The Court awarded sentences of eight years for unlawful association and ten years for customs fraud. The accused were acquitted of blocking of justice charges, because the Court considered the acts committed by the PNC personnel to correspond to the above-mentioned crimes.

The convicted parties are:

1. José Alfonso Cruz Valdéz, Police Chief.
2. Erick Noé Palacios López, Police Chief.
3. Freddy Fernando López Trabanino, Police Chief.
4. Luis Francisco González Estrada, Deputy Chief.
5. Lile Castañeda Sandoval, Inspector.
6. Juan Zacarías Zacarías, Police Corporal III.
7. Lorenzo Hurtado Corado, Police Corporal III.
8. José Angel Véliz Valdéz, Police Corporal II.
9. Amílcar René Franco Cabrera, police officer.

The Court, presided over by judge Jazmín Barrios, accepted scientific, documentary and testimonial evidence presented during oral proceedings by the Special Anti-impunity Prosecutor's Bureau (FECI) and the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG).

Among the evidence offered at the trial are telephone intercepts and information extracted from cellular telephones seized from the accused. More than 30,000 telephone calls were analyzed in the case investigation.

The Court validated statements rendered by witnesses and expert witnesses detailing the manner in which the criminal organization stole gasoline. Furthermore, it validated documentary evidence consisting of forged gasoline import declarations, which were uncovered through different searches conducted by the authorities. Also found were bombs, firearms reserved for the exclusive use of the Army of security forces, Superintendence of Tax Administration security seals and false notary stamps used to draft illegal documents.

The Court ordered the payment of GTQ1,738,665.83 for damages caused to the national treasury. The amount must be paid by those who formed part of the criminal group. 

Background
The convicted persons, members of a criminal structure, facilitated the passage of fuel that entered the country illegally at the Pedro de Alvarado customs checkpoint, entering from El Salvador en route to Guatemala City where it would be sold.

The structure was also comprised of businesspersons, individuals, former and active police officers as well as former and current SAT officials, who illegally brought the fuel into Guatemala between 2008 and 2012.

In this case, 12 additional persons are pending trial, including Daniel Ac Cuquej (police officer), who was arrested by the authorities at the end of December 2012.

CICIG acts as a complementary prosecutor in this criminal proceeding.