In a significant blow to organized crime, one of Guatemala’s most wanted drug traffickers has been captured in Mexico and extradited back to Guatemala. Aler Baldomero Samayoa Recinos, alias “Chicharra,” was apprehended by Mexican authorities on Tuesday with the cooperation of Guatemalan and U.S. law enforcement agencies.
Guatemala’s Interior Minister, Francisco Jiménez, announced the news on social media, sharing images and video of the arrest, which showed officers escorting a handcuffed Samayoa Recinos.
Samayoa Recinos was wanted in Guatemala for alleged involvement with Mexican cartels in negotiating drug shipments through the country. He is also facing a U.S. federal indictment for cocaine trafficking, unsealed in 2022, which accuses him of conspiring to distribute cocaine for importation into the United States from Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico.
As leader of an organized crime group called “Los Huistas,” Samayoa Recinos was accused by the U.S. Treasury Department in March 2022 of overseeing the group’s drug trafficking operation and engaging in money laundering activities. Los Huistas was designated as a major criminal structure in Guatemala’s Huehuetenango department, which borders Mexico.
The capture of Samayoa Recinos marks a significant victory for international cooperation in combating organized crime. His extradition to the United States will likely proceed after his case is heard in Guatemalan courts.
In summary, the apprehension of Aler Baldomero Samayoa Recinos represents a major milestone in the fight against drug trafficking and highlights the importance of cooperation between law enforcement agencies across borders.
Source: CBS News
