INL Country Programs - Guatemala Archive Site for State Department information prior to January 20, 2001. This site is not updated. Problem Guatemala is a major transit country for cocaine traveling from South America to Mexico and onward to the United States. The newly-elected Portillo government has committed itself to follow through on the Peace Accords commitment and has determined to strengthen bilateral cooperation the United States to combat narcotics trafficking through Guatemala and the region.
Public security remains a top priority of the government.
U.S. Programs Key to a successful GOG counternarcotics program supporting its flexibility to allow it to take the initiative against traffickers who respond with considerable resources and ingenuity. It also supports the expansion of the activities of the narcotics investigation squad and continued operation of the Joint Information Collection Center and the chemical control office. INL support for the Narcotics Courts and Prosecutors Project has assisted the special narcotics prosecutors unit of the Attorney General's office to increase the number of prosecutors, provide professional training, develop a computerized case management and expand the program to the outlying regions of the country. This includes plans to monitor the opium poppy growing areas in remote parts of the country. Finally, the Embassy's Narcotics Affairs Section has increased its role as a regional resource center providing administrative and training support for INL programs in neighboring countries.