Guatemalan Criminal Suspect Accused of Crimes in US Captured in Mexico during Collaborative Mission
An alleged Guatemalan drug trafficker and fugitive, known as La Chicharra (The Cicada), was detained in southern Mexico on March 11 after a joint operation involving Guatemala, Mexico, and the United States.
Guatemalan Interior Minister Francisco Jiménez confirmed the arrest on social media, stating that Aler Baldomero Samayoa Recinos, alias ‘Chicharra,’ was wanted in the United States and marked as Guatemala’s number 1 most wanted criminal.
Jiménez mentioned that Samayoa Recinos had been negotiating with Mexican cartels to traffic narcotics through Guatemala en route to the United States.
In March 2022, the U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctioned Los Huistas for drug trafficking activities that posed a threat to the people and security of both the United States and Guatemala.
The department highlighted that Samayoa Recinos oversaw a drug trafficking operation coordinating the transportation of cocaine from Huehuetenango, Guatemala, into the Mexican state of Chiapas.
Additionally, Interpol posted that Samayoa Recinos, Guatemala’s most wanted criminal, had been captured in Mexico. He was transferred to the Guatemalan government following his arrest.
Following his capture, Samayoa Recinos was airlifted to Guatemala for extradition proceedings to the United States, as noted by Guatemala’s Ministry of the Interior.
Samayoa Recinos’ arrest coincided with heightened border patrols by the Guatemalan Army under pressure from the White House.
The Department of the Treasury highlighted that Los Huistas controlled poppy cultivation fields in Guatemala and imported precursor chemicals from China to manufacture methamphetamine.
Cultivating Poppies in Guatemala
The U.S. Department of the Treasury also stated that Los Huistas trafficked cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin to the United States through Mexican organizations, contributing to the flow of illicit drugs often laced with fentanyl, increasing the risk of overdose.
The Guatemalan and Mexican governments have increased cooperation to combat transnational organized crime, with a focus on protecting citizens and preventing illegal activities within their borders.
In July 2024, nearly 600 Mexicans sought refuge in Guatemala to escape violence between drug cartels in their communities along the border.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
