Top drug trafficker wanted in U.S. is captured in Mexico, Guatemala officials say

One of Guatemala’s most wanted drug traffickers has been captured in Mexico and returned to Guatemala to await extradition to the United States, Guatemalan officials said.

Guatemala Interior Minister Francisco Jiménez said the capture of Aler Baldomero Samayoa Recinos on Tuesday was carried out in cooperation with Mexico and the United States. He said Samayoa Recinos negotiated drug shipments through Guatemala with Mexican cartels.

Jiménez posted images and video of the arrest on social media, showing officers escorting a handcuffed Samayoa Recinos.

Guatemala also has a case against Samayoa Recinos, so it wasn’t immediately clear if that case would have to proceed before his extradition would be considered. He was expected to appear in court in Guatemala on Wednesday.

A U.S. federal indictment against Samayoa Recinos was unsealed in Washington in 2022 for alleged cocaine trafficking. According to the U.S. Justice Department, Samayoa Recinos, who is also known as “Chicharra,” and his son-in-law were charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine for importation to the United States.

According to court documents, Samayoa Recinos allegedly conspired with others to import cocaine into the United States from Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico, the Justice Department said.

Guatemalan authorities say Samayoa Recinos leads an organized crime group called “Los Huistas.”

In March 2022, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Los Huistas, calling it “the dominant criminal structure in the Guatemalan department of Huehuetenango (along the border of Guatemala and Mexico).”

According to the U.S. Treasury, Los Huistas smuggles cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin from its base in northern Guatemala to the U.S. using Mexican cartels, including the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. The U.S. accused Samayoa Recinos of overseeing the group’s drug trafficking operation as well as engaging in money laundering activities.