The former mayor of Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa, Escuintla, Romeo Ramos Cruz, pleaded guilty in the US to conspiracy to traffic cocaine into that country. The court file in the case reveals details of the investigation that documented how prosecutors say he used his position to facilitate drug trafficking operations.
Ramos Cruz, 58, admitted to the charge after being extradited to the US on August 4, 2025. According to the Department of Justice, he could face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison. The hearing to hear the sentence was scheduled for December 2, 2026.
Court documents indicate that, between 2022 and 2023, the then mayor joined a drug trafficking organization based in Guatemala dedicated to the transportation of cocaine and heroin to the United States.
The accusation indicates that Ramos Cruz took advantage of his position as mayor to facilitate the operations of a criminal structure dedicated to drug trafficking.
“Ramos Cruz appointed a known drug trafficker to a senior position in the Municipal Police and also used his authority and access as mayor to coordinate the logistics and transportation of a shipment of cocaine bound for the United States,” the file detailed.
He added that Ramos Cruz admitted having agreed to help disguise the shipment of 500 kilos of cocaine from Venezuela to Guatemala as a donation of cement for your municipality.
“Invoking his political connections, the accused assured a confidential source that he could guarantee that the hidden cocaine shipment would avoid the controls of the Guatemalan authorities if it entered through Puerto Quetzal,” the document indicated.
He explained that Ramos Cruz prepared a letter on official Municipality letterhead to help the shipment evade inspection by the Guatemalan authorities.
“I am writing to you to respectfully request your support with the donation of cement for future infrastructure projects that will benefit the municipality of Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa, Escuintla, Guatemala, and will contribute to the development of our municipality. I hope to be able to count on your valuable contribution,” Ramos Cruz wrote and signed.
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Former mayor of Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa in Connecticut, USA.
The US attorney’s office said the former mayor helped facilitate a planned purchase of 10 kilograms of cocaine in the state of Connecticut. On November 17, 2022, the accused met with other members of the criminal structure to coordinate this purchase. Then, on December 13, 2022, one of the drug traffickers sold four of those kilograms of cocaine to a mystery shopper in Connecticut.
“The defendant received part of the profits obtained in that sale for his participation in facilitating the cocaine transaction,” the prosecution commented.
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The evidence presented in the US
The Justice Department detailed the evidence with which prosecutors supported the case and maintained that the investigation did not depend on a single piece of evidence.
“If this case goes to trial, the Government plans to present as evidence recordings of telephone calls, in-person meetings and video calls in which the accused participated; the testimony of a cooperating witness who had direct contact with him in drug trafficking activities; and evidence related to the seizure of cocaine by the authorities,” the documents from the US prosecutor’s office state.
Risk of escape
In the motion filed with the court, prosecutors requested that Ramos Cruz remain detained while the criminal proceedings continued.
“Ramos Cruz maintains strong family and criminal ties in Guatemala and probably has significant resources obtained through his criminal activities, including substantial income from drug trafficking in untraceable cash,” the prosecutor’s office detailed.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), with support from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE), Guatemalan authorities and Interpol.
Capture of Ramos Cruz in Guatemala
Between 2020 and 2024, Ramos Cruz was mayor of Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa, Escuintla and was elected by the Productivity and Work Party, a party canceled in 2020.
In 2023, the then mayor sought re-election with the Cabal party, but lost the elections against Julio Armando Paz, from the Vamos party.
Ramos Cruz was captured on May 15, 2025 during an operation carried out at kilometer 98.5 from the highway to Cerro Colorado, in Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa, Escuintla. He later agreed to be extradited to the United States, where he faces criminal proceedings.
At the time of his arrest, the National Civil Police (PNC) He reported that a pickaxe, a pistol, a carbine, ammunition and a cell phone were seized.