Guatemalan brothers convicted on U.S. drug-trafficking charge

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two Guatemalan brothers with alleged ties to Mexico's Sinaloa drug cartel have been convicted of international narcotics trafficking in a U.S. court, officials said on Wednesday. Waldemar Lorenzana-Cordon, 49, and Eliu Elixander Lorenzana-Cordon, 43, were allegedly responsible for multi-ton shipments of Colombian cocaine to the United States, the Justice Department said in a statement. They were convicted in Washington's U.S. District Court after a four-week trial on one count each of conspiring to import and distribute cocaine in the United States. Trial evidence showed that the Lorenzana-Cordons headed a drug trafficking organization with close ties to the Sinaloa Cartel, the statement said. The Mexican group is one of the most powerful drug-smuggling outfits in the world. Sinaloa drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman was recaptured by Mexican authorities in January after escaping from prison. Guatemalan authorities extradited Eliu Lorenzana-Cordon to the United States in 2015. Waldemar Lorenzana-Cordon was extradited in 2014. (Reporting by Ian Simpson; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)