...killed while custody at prison other than the one to which they were remanded by a judge, giving rise to speculation of a wide-ranging conspiracy to silence them and bringing to public view the depth and breadth of corruption at all levels of government. Initially, the events allowed the presidents of both nations to use them to advance their respective political agendas. Salvadoran President Antonio Saca blamed the communists for the first crime, while Guatemalan President Oscar Berger blamed gangs in the prison for the second.

When the police were arrested, the two heads of state agreed on a common theme: the cops were tied to drug-trafficking rings. "The latest report I received is that a band of drug traffickers with ties in both countries was responsible for the killings and that elements of Guatemala's Policia Nacional Civil (PNC) form part of the gang," said Berger.

"All the evidence indicates that a specific group touched political structures in El Salvador. Organized crime is a reality in Central America and can be related to contraband and to drug trafficking," said Saca, apparently giving up on the communist angle.

Neither president, however, strayed into the question of motivation for the murders of the parliamentarians, Eduardo D'Aubuisson, Jose Ramon Gonzalez, William Pichinte, and their driver, Jose Ramirez. It was left to Guatemala's principal newspaper Prensa Libre to report, "The police officers who were arrested told investigators that they had been paid to intercept the vehicle driven by the legislators and steal the drug shipment that they were supposedly carrying or the money from its sale." That bit of reporting may have sounded the death knell for the cops, Luis Herrera Lopez, head...

NOTE: All illustrations and photos have been removed from this article.




Looking for additional articles?
Search our database of over 3 million articles.

Looking for more in-depth information on this industry?
Search our complete database of Industry & Market reports by text, subject, publication name or publication date.

About Goliath
Whether you're looking for sales prospects, competitive information, company analysis or best practices in managing your organization, Goliath can help you meet your business needs.

Our extensive business information databases empower business professionals with both the breadth and depth of credible, authoritative information they need to support their business goals. Whether it be strategic planning, sales prospecting, company research or defining management best practices - Goliath is your leading source for accurate information.