Drugs charges for Guatemala tsar

16 November 2005

Guatemala's top anti-drug investigator, Adan Castillo, has been charged in the US with drug-trafficking.

Mr Castillo, who is accused of conspiring to import and distribute cocaine in the US, was detained after arriving in the country.

His deputy and another investigator were also arrested and indicted.

The US Drug Enforcement Administration said the arrests followed a four-month investigation in the United States and Central America.

'Strong blow'

Mr Castillo was in the US state of Virginia for a training course on how to fight drug trafficking through ports when he was arrested, Guatemalan Interior Minister Carlos Vielman said.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4443700.stm


Can we just give up and legalize drugs? This is ridiculous.

GUATEMALA CITY - He's Guatemala's top anti-narcotics investigator, and he's tired of fighting a losing battle.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Adan Castillo said he plans to step down in December, after just six months on the job.

"There are moments when you start to think you're swimming against the current," he said. "At those times, it's easy to think, 'If there aren't other institutions that can support me, if the government itself is weak in its responses, there's nothing left to do but leave it in God's hands.'"

Castillo said his country's anti-drug agents are no match for smugglers.

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/world/13098087.htm