http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/guatemala/ en-us Sat, 26 Dec 2009 07:07:50 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415216/posts Note: The following text is a quote: Ringleader of International Truck Theft Conspiracy Sentenced to Prison HOUSTON—A Houston man who recruited others to steal and transport millions of dollars of truck tractors, trailers and other heavy equipment to Central America has been sentenced to prison, United States Attorney Tim Johnson announced today. United States District Judge David Hittner sentenced Yuri David Melendez, 43, to a total of nine years in federal prison for his leadership role in the truck theft scheme and in an unrelated narcotics charge during a hearing today. Melendez, who was convicted of conspiracy to export and... Houston.FBI.gov - DOJ Press Release http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415216/posts#comment Sat, 26 Dec 2009 07:07:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2405884/posts Note: The following text is a quote: December 11, 2009 286 arrested in ICE's largest ever enforcement surge targeting criminal aliens 2 convicted rapists and armed robber among those captured in 3-day California operation LOS ANGELES - Nearly 300 foreign nationals with criminal records have been removed from the United States or are facing deportation following a three-day enforcement surge in California, making it the biggest operation targeting at large criminal aliens ever carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). During the operation, which concluded late Thursday, ICE officers located and arrested a total of 280 criminal aliens... ICE.gov - News Release http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2405884/posts#comment Sat, 12 Dec 2009 02:11:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2400613/posts STERLING, Va. - A close inspection by Customs and Border Protection officers at Dulles International Airport turned up something unexpected. Inside a fully-cooked chicken they found cocaine with an estimated street value of $4,300. The 60.4 grams (2.3 ounces) of coke was found inside two small, clear plastic bags inside the chicken's cavity. Officers discovered the white powdery substance during a secondary inspection after a flight from El Salvador arrived shortly after midnight Saturday. It tested positive for cocaine. "CBP officers have seen many unique narcotics concealment methods, and they all present the same challenges to discover them. Our officers'... WTOP.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2400613/posts#comment Fri, 4 Dec 2009 23:53:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2399774/posts Three Houston residents have been arrested and accused of transporting illegal immigrants after a pickup truck carrying the people plunged 40 feet from a roadway and injured them in Jim Wells County in South Texas. Patricio Rebollar Jr., 28, Herman Valdez, 29, and Nancy Martinez, 25, are charged in a criminal complaint with transporting undocumented immigrants, according to federal authorities. Of the 17 undocumented immigrants in the accident, five remain hospitalized with serious injuries and the others have been treated at hospitals and released into federal custody. Rebollar, who was allegedly driving the pickup, was hospitalized with unknown injuries. Houston Chronicle http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2399774/posts#comment Fri, 4 Dec 2009 00:05:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2395878/posts Guatemala City, Guatemala) 11/26/09 Guatemala’s immigration reform plan is expected to be considered in the U.S. [Sub-headline]: The National Council for Guatemalan Migrant Affairs (CONAMIGUA) produced a migratory reform proposal which could be strengthened by the inclusion of other Central American countries; the proposal has great possibilities of being taken into account regarding the highly desired reform which is being lobbied in the United States. Erick Maldonado, executive secretary of CONAMIGUA, stated that they are approaching leaders of Guatemalan migrants in the United States and Congressmen of that country [the U.S.] to be able to influence the approval of the... National Assn. of Former Border Patrol Officers M3 report http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2395878/posts#comment Sat, 28 Nov 2009 16:56:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2378752/posts TODOS SANTOS CUCHUMATAN, Guatemala (Reuters) – Despite a drinking ban mayhem erupted at a traditional Mayan horse race on Sunday with riders falling off their horses and drunken spectators stumbling through the mountain village. Hundreds of tourists and locals gathered for the annual spectacle in Todo Santos Cuchumatan on Sunday to cheer the dozens of riders charging back and forth along a 330-foot (100-meter) length of road for up to seven hours. But the macho test of stamina was marred, as it has been in the past, by the copious amount of homemade spirits the riders consume, sometimes for days... Reuters on Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2378752/posts#comment Thu, 5 Nov 2009 00:16:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2371734/posts Note: The following text is a quote: Three Convicted in International Truck Theft Conspiracy Sentenced to Prison HOUSTON—Three men who conspired to steal and transport millions of dollars of truck tractors, trailers and other heavy equipment to Central America have been sentenced to prison, United States Attorney Tim Johnson announced today. Rito Jasso-Zorilla, 32, Victor Antonio Garcia, 27, and Orlando Gonzalez Huerta, 29, all citizens of Mexico, were sentenced by United States District Judge David Hittner this morning for their respective roles in assisting Yuri David Melendez, 42, of Houston, with the far-reaching scheme. Beginning in 2001, Melendez received requests... Houston.FBI.gov - DOJ Press Release http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2371734/posts#comment Tue, 27 Oct 2009 07:42:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2352300/posts Note: The following text is a quote: September 30, 2009 O'Hare Airport temporary staffing employees sentenced for harboring illegal aliens who were given access to secure areas Assisted illegal workers in obtaining unauthorized airport security badges CHICAGO - The owner of a Bensenville temporary employment agency and her assistant were sentenced in federal court Wednesday for harboring illegal aliens and assisting those workers in obtaining unauthorized access to secure areas at O'Hare International Airport, including the tarmac. The sentences resulted from a multi-agency federal investigation conducted in 2007 and led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Mary Gurin, 38,... ICE.gov - News Release http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2352300/posts#comment Thu, 1 Oct 2009 09:12:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2346909/posts (English-language translation) How future events develop in Honduras rests on Roberto Micheletti's and Manuel Zelaya's prudence and sense, and their first task is to ensure that the deposed President's surprise return does not become the reason for any type of violence, as several governments, the Organization of American States (OAS), and the European Union have unanimously requested. However, there is the possibility that things get out of control. Therefore, Brazilian President Lula asked Zelaya yesterday not to take actions that may provide a pretext for government forces to intervene, and not to put the Brazilian Embassy installations in harm's way.... Prensa Libre (Spanish-language editorial) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2346909/posts#comment Thu, 24 Sep 2009 01:44:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2341452/posts TIJUANA, Mexico — Firefighters found six bodies inside a burning car in Tijuana, and 15 people were killed in three separate shootings in another northern Mexican border town besieged by drug violence, authorities said Tuesday. Near Mexico's southern border, meanwhile, the bullet-ridden bodies of eight men suspected to be drug traffickers were found in a Guatemalan frontier town. In Tijuana, across the border from San Diego, four bodies were found in a burning compact car's seats and two in the trunk, according to a police report Tuesday. The victims' identities and the motive for the killings were not released, but... Houston Chronicle/AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2341452/posts#comment Wed, 16 Sep 2009 22:30:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2335481/posts (English-language translation) Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom declared a state of "public calamity" as a measure to face the food and nutrition crisis that affects 54,000 families and has claimed the lives of some 25 children. The declaration will allow the Guatemalan government to accept international aid for these cases and to mobilize resources from the national budget more promptly, according to the president's official address to the nation. "I have decided to use the public-order law and declare a state of public calamity throughout the entire national territory, since the consequences of food and nutritional insufficiency will affect not only... NotiUno.com (Spanish-language news brief) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2335481/posts#comment Wed, 9 Sep 2009 16:04:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2333411/posts EL MIRADOR, Guatemala (Reuters) - One of Guatemala's greatest ancient Mayan cities may have died out in a bloody battle atop a huge pyramid between a royal family and invaders from hundreds of miles away, archaeologists say. Researchers are carrying out DNA tests on blood samples from hundreds of spear tips and arrowheads dug up with bone fragments and smashed pottery at the summit of the El Tigre pyramid in the Mayan city of El Mirador, buried beneath jungle vegetation 8 km from Guatemala's border with Mexico. Many of the excavated blades are made of obsidian which the archaeologists have... Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2333411/posts#comment Sun, 6 Sep 2009 17:00:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2317526/posts REYNOSA — Soldiers on Thursday freed more than 100 persons who were being held against their will by a group of alleged kidnappers, authorities said. Military personell discovered the sequestered group's location through an anonymous tip, the Mexican Defense Ministry said in a news release issued Saturday. Soldiers checked out the area at Callejón Golondrinas about 11:30 p.m. and discovered a house with about 123 persons crammed inside. Soldiers interviewed several victims who told officials they had been abducted. The people found inside the house, all Central American, were described as follows: >> 94 Honduras nationals (24 females) >> 15... The Monitor http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2317526/posts#comment Sun, 16 Aug 2009 23:39:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2301293/posts <p>The case against a South Florida hospital that quietly chartered a plane and sent a seriously brain injured illegal immigrant back to Guatemala over the objections of his family and legal guardian was in the hands of a jury Thursday.</p> Startribune.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2301293/posts#comment Sun, 26 Jul 2009 12:39:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2298705/posts GUATEMALA CITY — Guatemalan drug boss Juan Jose "Juancho" Leon was summoned by Mexican traffickers for what he was told was business. Instead, dozens of attackers ambushed his entourage with grenades and assault rifles, killing Leon and 10 others in a brazen demonstration of power. Mexican drug traffickers are branching out as never before — spreading their tentacles into 47 nations, including the U.S., Guatemala and even Colombia, long the heart of the drug trade in Latin America. The expansion comes amid a military crackdown in Mexico and the arrests of major Colombian suppliers and poses a new challenge for... Houston Chronicle/AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2298705/posts#comment Wed, 22 Jul 2009 23:43:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2289992/posts 03:13pm Guatemala. El presidente venezolano aseguró hoy que está en marcha un plan para derrocar a su colega guatemalteco Alvaro Colom, que los adversarios de ese gobernante estarían en la búsqueda de militares dispuestos a hacerlo. English translation: Guatemala. The Venezuelan president said today that a plan is underway to overthrow the Guatemalan colleague Alvaro Colom, the opponents of this ruling would be in search of soldiers ready to do so. ElEheraldo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2289992/posts#comment Fri, 10 Jul 2009 22:27:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2278842/posts Note: The following text is a quote: June 24, 2009 46 street gang members and associates arrested in New Jersey-wide operation ICE works with local law enforcement agencies to make arrests NEWARK, N.J. - Forty-six gang members and associates were arrested as a result of a statewide public safety initiative in New Jersey led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Office of Investigation in Newark. The operation ended June 20. Each of those arrested were targeted for their membership, participation or association with violent street gangs. The success of the operation dubbed "Community Shield" was the result of an... ICE.gov - News Release http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2278842/posts#comment Thu, 25 Jun 2009 01:31:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2257150/posts Guatemala Murder Scandal Could Threaten the PresidencyThe scandal surrounding accusations that Guatemala's president orchestrated the murder of a prominent lawyer is intensifying  deepening divisions in a country still recovering from a 36-year civil war. It is also, according to some analysts, handing the country its greatest threat to democracy since that war ended in 1996. Tens of thousands of Guatemalans have taken to the streets since a video emerged in which Rodrigo Rosenberg, the lawyer, accused Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom and three others of murder and corruption. Mr. Rosenberg, who was shot dead while riding his bike on May... ABC News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2257150/posts#comment Sun, 24 May 2009 01:02:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2252509/posts IT COULD have been a scene from Gabriel García Márquez’s novella, “Chronicle of a Death Foretold”. But there was nothing magical about the realism of the video recorded by Rodrigo Rosenberg, a Guatemalan lawyer, four days before he was shot dead on Sunday May 10th while cycling on a busy avenue. “If you are hearing this message,” he intoned, “it is because I, Rodrigo Rosenberg Marzano, was assassinated by the president’s private secretary, Gustavo Alejos, and his partner, Gregorio Valdez, with the approval of Álvaro Colom and Sandra de Colom [Guatemala’s president and first lady]”. Political murders are sadly nothing... The Economist http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2252509/posts#comment Sun, 17 May 2009 03:42:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2252039/posts Several have sent word that a YouTube video of recently assassinated lawyer Rodrigo Rosenberg has sent Guatemala into a tailspin. The video of Rosenberg claims that if you are watching, he has been murdered by President Alvaro Colom with help from presidential secretary Gustavo Alejos. "The video spread across the Internet after family members handed it out during Rosenberg's funeral on Monday. In the 18-minute tape, a seemingly calm Rosenberg, sitting behind a desk and microphone, alleges that Colom, the First Lady and two associates were involved in murder, corruption and money laundering. The group, he says, filtered public funds... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2252039/posts#comment Sat, 16 May 2009 02:49:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2238099/posts LIMA -- Public health authorities of South American countries took precautionary measures to fend off a possible pandemic after a deadly swine flu virus claimed dozens of lives in Mexico and infected at least 11 people in the United States. In Peru, experts with the Health Ministry said the ministry had initiated a nationwide precautionary plan to deal with potential threats, though no suspicious cases have been reported so far in the country. The Chilean Health Ministry expressed concern over the situation and drafted a contingency plan for epidemic prevention. It also ordered a public health alert that included health... China View Canada http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2238099/posts#comment Sun, 26 Apr 2009 14:25:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2233756/posts Just two days after US President Barack Hussein Obama shared a controversial and landmark handshake with Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez at the Summit of the Americas, the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center has released a study analyzing the flowering alliance between the increasingly anti-Western Latin America and the virulently anti-Israel Iran. The study was conducted at the Israel Intelligence Heritage & Commemoration Center (IICC), a non-governmental organization dedicated to Israeli intelligence and terrorism issues. According to the study, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is using anti-Western Hugo Chavez as a springboard into several Latin American countries, such as Bolivia, Nicaragua, and... Arutz Sheva http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2233756/posts#comment Mon, 20 Apr 2009 22:28:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2222261/posts Guatemala - After several months of debate, the Guatemalan Congress approved the Weapon and Ammunition Control Law, considered essential to reduce violence. The regulation reduces to one the four licenses previously granted to each citizen to buy armaments, and they are able now to buy three weapons instead of 12, as previously established. It also stipulated several requirements before granting the permit, including a clean criminal record and passing psychological assessment, income certification and proof of employment. The legislation also set between five and 15 years of imprisonment for crimes like possession, export, import, or illegal sale of weapons and... Inside Costa Rica http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2222261/posts#comment Sat, 4 Apr 2009 15:03:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2216642/posts GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) – Guatemalan security forces have discovered a camp run by Mexico's most violent drug gang where traffickers trained dozens of gunmen, police said on Friday. Security forces were tipped off about suspicious activity at a ranch in Quiche, in the central highlands, by residents who said men in ski masks were asking villagers to join their ranks, police chief Marlene Blanco said at a news conference. Two commanders of the Zetas, the armed wing of Mexico's Gulf cartel, and 37 recruits fled the camp before the police and army arrived, leaving behind 500 grenades, six rifles and... Reuters on Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2216642/posts#comment Sat, 28 Mar 2009 03:14:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2216621/posts GUATEMALA CITY — A hitman training camp for Mexico's infamous Gulf cartel was found in northern Guatemala, along with 500 grenades, police said Friday. In a news conference, police director Marlene Blanco said officials also seized six rifles, three motorcycles and several boxes of ammunition during Thursday's operation. People at the site fled before authorities arrived because they "heard the noise of the helicopters" used in the raid, said Nery Morales, a spokesman for Guatemala's Interior Ministry. "We searched the area, but didn't find anything," he said. Mexican drug cartels often use grenades in attacks, and many of the weapons... Houston Chronicle/AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2216621/posts#comment Sat, 28 Mar 2009 02:41:06 GMT