Romeo Ramos Cruz, a former mayor in Guatemala, appeared in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia after being extradited from Guatemala on August 4. He faces charges of conspiracy to import more than five kilograms of cocaine into the United States.
Prosecutors allege that between 2022 and 2024, Ramos Cruz was a central figure in a drug trafficking group based in Guatemala. During this period, he served as mayor of Santa Lucia municipality in Escuintla Department and is accused of using his official position to aid the organization’s activities. According to court documents, Ramos Cruz coordinated logistics and transportation for cocaine shipments bound for the United States. In one case, he allegedly agreed to disguise a shipment from Venezuela as cement and prepared an official letter intended to help avoid inspection by Guatemalan authorities.
If convicted, Ramos Cruz could face up to 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 announced the developments.
The FBI Washington Field Office led the investigation with support from other agencies including the Drug Enforcement Administration Miami Division and Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations New Orleans Field Office. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked alongside Guatemalan law enforcement, INTERPOL, and the FBI to secure Ramos Cruz’s arrest and extradition.
Trial Attorneys Kirk Handrich and Roger Polack from the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section are prosecuting this case.
This prosecution falls under Operation Take Back America, which combines resources from several federal programs such as Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhoods to combat illegal immigration, dismantle cartels, target transnational criminal organizations, and address violent crime across communities.
Authorities emphasized that an indictment is only an allegation; all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.