Jailed policemen shot in their cells in Guatamala (Juan Carlos Llorca)

  The suspects' killings were the latest twist in the bizarre case, which has raised questions about corruption and drug ties in Central America. U.S. officials estimate that 75 percent of the cocaine that reaches American soil passes through Guatemala.

  By Juan Carlos Llorca -- Associated Press

  Feb. 27, 2007 -- Gunmen stormed a Guatemalan prison and gunned down four jailed police officers in a mafia hit that was clearly aimed at stopping investigators from finding out who ordered the brutal slayings of three Salvadoran politicians and their driver last week, Guatemala's leader said Monday.

  President Oscar Berger said "organized crime gangs" reached the officers' cell Sunday after getting past eight locked doors at the prison, and were responsible for the "violent deaths of four important witnesses who could have helped the investigation."

  Berger said it still wasn't clear whether drug trafficking or other organized crime was involved, but said officials determined that inmates weren't to blame. A major question is how the gunmen were able to get past eight doors to reach the suspects, Berger said.

  The suspects' killings were the latest twist in the bizarre case, which has raised questions about corruption and drug ties in Central America. U.S. officials estimate that 75 percent of the cocaine that reaches American soil passes through Guatemala.

  Salvadoran President Tony Saca, who asked the FBI to help investigate the case, meets on Tuesday with US President George W. Bush at the White House, and Bush travels to Guatemala next month to talk with Berger about the growing drug problem.

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