The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org. February 13, 2020 Former Guatemalan Presidential Candidate Sentenced to 15 Years by U.S. Court ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Former Guatemalan presidential candidate Mario Estrada has been sentenced to 15 years in prison by a U.S. court, after he was convicted of plotting to work with Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel to import cocaine to the United States. Prosecutors accused Estrada of offering free access to Guatemala's airports and maritime routes for smuggling in exchange for millions of dollars in campaign financing from the cartel. Prosecutors also say Estrada conspired to assassinate political rivals. He ran for president in 2018 with Guatemala's center-right National Change Union party. .