US seeks extradition of ex-Guatemala vice-president

GUATEMALA CITY – Guatemala’s foreign ministry said late Wednesday that the United States formally requested the extradition of former Vice-President Roxana Baldetti on drug trafficking charges.

Baldetti was indicted in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in February. The U.S. Embassy in Guatemala said then that the U.S. would seek her extradition. Baldetti has denied the charges.

The foreign ministry said the extradition request would be forwarded to the court handling Baldetti’s case.

According to the indictment, Baldetti and others conspired to import cocaine to the U.S. between 2010 and 2015.

Baldetti resigned as vice-president in 2015 and was charged with corruption in Guatemala the following year, for allegedly participating in a customs graft scheme and receiving millions of dollars in kickbacks. She has remained in custody.