Guatemala seizes 9.9 million pseudoephedrine pills, record for of methamphetamine precursor

October 8th, 2009 Attacks on Guatemalan police kill 2, wound 3GUATEMALA CITY — A series of attacks on police in Guatemala has killed two officers and wounded three. Interior Minister Raul Velasquez says the attacks appear to be retaliation by criminals, but did not point to a specific gang.

October 2nd, 2009 Mexico reports record drug seizureMEXICO CITY — Mexico's federal Attorney General's Office says authorities have has seized the largest quantity of precursor chemicals for methamphetamine in the country's history. It says 20 tons of chemicals were seized at Manzanillo port in the Pacific coast state of Colima and 17 tons were found by customs agents in Nuevo Laredo, across from Laredo, Texas.

October 2nd, 2009 Mexico reports record seizures of drug precursorMEXICO CITY — Two raids by security forces netted the largest seizures of methamphetamine precursor chemicals in Mexico's history, federal officials announced Friday. Agents seized 20 tons of chemicals used to produce methamphetamine at Manzanillo port in the Pacific coast state of Colima and 17 tons in the border city of Nuevo Laredo, across from Laredo, Texas, Mexico's federal Attorney General's Office said in a news release.

September 3rd, 2009 US sanctions 6 Mexicans accused of meth trade tiesMEXICO CITY — The U.S. Treasury Department has imposed sanctions on six Mexicans linked to a pharmaceutical company that allegedly diverted precursor chemicals to a methamphetamine trafficking gang.

August 26th, 2009 Myanmar reports major drug bust near Thai borderYANGON, Myanmar — Police in Myanmar seized more than 100 blocks of heroin and nearly 3 million methamphetamine tablets near the border with Thailand in one of the military-ruled country's largest drug seizures, a state-run newspaper said Wednesday. An anti-drug squad confiscated two guns and ammunition and arrested four people in the raid Monday on two houses in the northeastern town of Tachileik, the Myanma Ahlin newspaper said.

August 24th, 2009 41 indicted in $2 million-a-month Denver meth ringDENVER — Colorado authorities say they've broken up a drug ring responsible for importing and distributing more than $2 million worth of methamphetamine in the Denver area each month. State Attorney General John Suthers said Monday 41 people have been indicted.

August 13th, 2009 Argentina seizes over 4 tons of meth ingredientsBUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Argentine customs officers have seized more than four tons of a chemical that can be used to make methamphetamine during an investigation into drug traffickers with ties to Mexico. Mario Crespo, director of investigations for the customs service, says a total of 4.2 metric tons (4.6 tons) of pseudoephedrine was confiscated at several government warehouses at the port in Buenos Aires on Wednesday.

August 10th, 2009 Guatemala stops ex-officials from leaving countryGUATEMALA CITY —Prosecutors in Guatemala have requested a restraining order against four former top police officials linked to the disappearance of hundreds of pounds (more than 100 kilograms) of cocaine, in order to keep them from leaving the country. Prosecutor Leonel Ruiz says that "we cannot affirm that the former police chiefs are involved, we can only say that we are investigating them." The fired men are former National Police general director Porfirio Perez, assistant director Rolando Mendoza, and deputy directors Victor Lopez and Hector Castellanos.

July 21st, 2009 AP IMPACT: Mexican drug cartels expand abroadGUATEMALA 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.

July 3rd, 2009 GUATEMALA CITY - A man who raped his nine-year-old daughter was lynched and burnt alive by a mob in the Guatemalan town of San Juan Sacatepequez, the police said. Some 200 people responded to a call for help from the girl's younger brother while Samuel Cotzajay Cubule, 52, was sexually abusing her, the police said.

June 17th, 2009 Military finds one of Mexico's largest meth labsBADIRAGUATO, Mexico — The Mexican Navy gave reporters a firsthand look Tuesday at what they described as one of the largest methamphetamine labs ever found in the country, with enough ephedrine to produce more than 40 tons of the drug. The smell of chemical solvents was overwhelming at the remote mountaintop site in the northern state of Sinaloa, where Navy personnel on patrol last week stumbled across an enormous holding tank they initially thought might be used to water a marijuana plantation.

May 4th, 2009 GUATEMALA CITY - A strong earthquake rattled Guatemala Sunday, with a magnitude of 6.1 on the Richter scale, but there were no reports of injuries or damage. The earthquake struck at a depth of 104 km and took place about 68 km west of Guatemala City, the US Geological Survey reported.

May 3rd, 2009 Strong but deep quake hits GuatemalaGUATEMALA CITY — Seismologists are reporting a strong but deeply centered earthquake in Guatemala. Local radio stations say there are no reports of damages or injuries.

March 8th, 2009 GUATEMALA CITY - At least 13 people, including two police officials, have been killed in a wave of violence in Guatemala, EFE reported Sunday. According to the National Police (PNC), three suspected members of a youth gang, were shot death by unknown gunmen early Saturday in the northeastern suburbs of the capital.

February 21st, 2009 GUATEMALA CITY - Six people were killed and 11 wounded when a gang opened fire on players and fans at a football match in Guatemala City, EFE reported Friday. Two teams were playing five-a-side football match on a basketball court in the Santa Fe neighborhood in the capital city Wednesday when the attack occurred.