Soldiers deployed in remote areas of Northern Guatemala, struggling to tame spiraling drug cartel violence and trafficking in a government offensive launched late last year.
With two coasts and a long, porous border with Mexico, Guatemala is strategic territory for cartels to move Colombian cocaine to consumers in the United States.
In the latest crackdown on drug activity, a Guatemalan court sentenced 17 alleged members of the powerful Mexican Zetas drug cartel on Monday, for various crimes including complicity in drug-trafficking, possession of military-style weapons, money laundering and conspiracy to murder.
Among the accused was the son of an alleged Zetas cartel chief Walter "El Tigre" Overdick, recently extradited to the United States and accused of being Central America's top drug traffickers.
The alleged Zetas members will face prison terms ranging from eight to 83 years.
Sarah Sheffer, Reuters
