Source: United States Attorneys General
Yesterday, Romeo Ramos Cruz, of Guatemala, made his initial appearance in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia following his extradition from Guatemala on Aug. 4.
Ramos Cruz, 57, is charged with one count of conspiracy to import more than five kilograms of cocaine into the United States from Guatemala.
According to court documents, from 2022 through 2024, Ramos Cruz served as a key member of a Guatemala-based drug trafficking organization responsible for transporting cocaine intended for U.S. markets. During this time, Ramos Cruz held public office as the mayor of Santa Lucia municipality in Guatemala’s Escuintla Department and is alleged to have exploited his official position to facilitate the organization’s operations. As part of the conspiracy, Ramos Cruz allegedly used his authority and access to coordinate logistics and transportation of cocaine shipments destined for the United States. In one instance, he agreed to help disguise a shipment of cocaine from Venezuela to Guatemala as a delivery of cement. He also prepared a letter on official municipal letterhead intended to help the shipment evade inspection by Guatemalan authorities.
If convicted, Ramos Cruz faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and Special Agent in Charge Reid Davis of the FBI Washington Field Office (WFO) made the announcement.
The FBI WFO led U.S. investigative efforts with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration Miami Division and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations New Orleans Field Office. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs working with Guatemalan law enforcement authorities, INTERPOL, and the FBI provided critical assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of Ramos Cruz to the United States.
Trial Attorneys Kirk Handrich and Roger Polack of the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section are prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhoods.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.