Mario Estrada, Former Guatemalan Presidential Candidate, Sentenced To 15 Years In Prison In Connection With Scheme To Import Tons Of Cocaine Into The United States
https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/mario-estrada-former-guatemalan-presidential-candidate-sentenced-15-years-prison
While he was running for president of Guatemala in 2018 and 2019, ESTRADA attempted to solicit funding from international drug cartels to support ESTRADA’s presidential campaign (the “Estrada Campaign”). During certain of these negotiations, members of the Estrada Conspiracy, including ESTRADA and his co-defendant, Juan Pablo Gonzalez Mayorga (“Gonzalez”), interacted with purported members and associates of the Sinaloa Cartel – a powerful international drug-trafficking organization based in Mexico – who were, in fact, confidential sources (the “CSes”) acting at the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (“DEA”) direction. At times during the course of his negotiations with the CSes, ESTRADA was polling in the top five of candidates for the Guatemalan presidency.