Los Zetas Members on Trial in
Guatemala
GUATEMALA - The trial of 14 alleged members
of the Mexican drug cartel Los Zetas
continued Thursday in the case of 11
Guatemalan drug traffickers killed in Zacapa
department in 2008.
According to prosecutors, the killings were
part of a fierce battle between a Guatemalan
drug gang and the Mexican cartel Los Zetas
for control of smuggling routes through
Guatemala.
The clash between the two cartels revealed
the presence in Guatemala of Mexico's
powerful drug mafia, especially Los Zetas,
considered to be the armed wing of the Gulf
Cartel.
However, not all the defendants attended the
hearing on Wednesday; two of them, a Mexican
and a Guatemalan, remained in prison because
authorities feared a rescue attempt, and
they followed the hearing via
videoconference.
Defense lawyers tried to suspend the
hearing, calling it illegal, but were
unsuccessful.
The prosecutor's office says it has more
than 500 pieces of evidence linking
defendants to the 2008 murders and other
crimes, including illegal weapons
possession, armed robbery and forgery. |
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