TRIAL IN AMATITLÁN CASE

Guatemala, June 18, 2013. Yesterday, Court A for High-Risk Matters ruled to send Héctor Orlando Sierra Ramírez—an alleged member of a criminal organization—to trial for his involvement in an armed confrontation which took place in Amatitlán on April 24, 2009.

At the pre-trial hearing to open oral arguments, the Court deemed there to be sufficient evidence to merit bringing the accused to justice for the crimes of illegal trade, trafficking and storage of drugs; criminal association; possession and illegal dumping of offensive weapons, explosives, chemical weapons, biological weapons, atomic weapons, traps and experimental arms; and illegal possession of firearm ammunition.

The Court scheduled the hearing to submit evidence for July 5, 2013.

In this case, 19 accused individuals are to stand trial, including Baltazar Gómez Barrios, former Director of the National Civil Police (PNC), and five additional police officers. The oral proceedings are scheduled for July 25, 2013.

The International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) serves as a complementary prosecutor in these criminal proceedings.

Background
On April 24, 2009, an armed confrontation took place between National Civil Police (PNC) officers and suspected drug traffickers at warehouses located in Amatitlán, causing the death of 5 police officers. At a later stage, authorities seized 370 kg of cocaine and an arsenal of weapons.

In this case, former Deputy Director of the Prison System Vidal Efraín Requena Mazariegos was sentenced to 14 years in prison for money laundering and criminal association. Investigations demonstrated how the former public official used his bank account to launder the drug trafficking money of a criminal organization.