{"id":8478,"date":"2026-04-29T12:43:55","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T12:43:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news678.top\/?p=8478"},"modified":"2026-04-29T12:43:55","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T12:43:55","slug":"accused-drug-kingpin-with-10-million-u-s-bounty-on-his-head-captured-in-san-diego","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news678.top\/?p=8478","title":{"rendered":"Accused drug kingpin with $10 million U.S. bounty on his head captured in San Diego"},"content":{"rendered":"

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U.S. authorities have detained a suspected Guatemalan drug kingpin with a $10 million bounty on his head, the Central American nation’s U.S. Embassy announced.<\/p>\n

Eugenio Molina-Lopez is accused of heading up a gang called Los Huistas, which allegedly trafficked U.S.-bound cocaine from South America to Mexican cartels.<\/p>\n

He was arrested in San Diego, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California said in a statement, which the embassy in Guatemala City shared on X.<\/p>\n

The statement did not specify when the arrest took place.<\/p>\n

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.@TheJusticeDept<\/a> anunci\u00f3 el arresto de \u201cDon Dar\u00edo\u201d Molina-L\u00f3pez, l\u00edder de la organizaci\u00f3n criminal transnacional Los Huistas. Gracias al Programa de Recompensas del @StateDept<\/a>, y con la ayuda del p\u00fablico, m\u00e1s de 75 criminales transnacionales y narcotraficantes han sido llevados\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/vzHGbuSCsR<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 US Embassy Guatemala (@usembassyguate) April 28, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

The 61-year-old known as “Don Dario” pleaded not guilty during a federal court appearance on Friday.<\/p>\n

Molina-Lopez is charged with conspiracy to import and distribute cocaine, which carries a possible life sentence.<\/p>\n

“Once again, the final chapter for a man alleged to be one of the world’s most notorious and prolific cocaine traffickers is here in the Southern District of California,” U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon said.<\/p>\n

Los Huistas operate in northwestern Guatemala near the border with Mexico, according to the embassy.<\/p>\n

In March 2022, the United States imposed sanctions against Los Huistas,\u00a0describing it\u00a0as the “dominant criminal structure in the Guatemalan department of Huehuetenango (along the border of Guatemala and Mexico).”<\/p>\n

In March 2025, the “top leader” of Los Huistas and one of Washington’s top 100 most-wanted fugitives, Aler Baldomero Samayoa — alias “Chicharra” (Cicada) — was captured in Mexico<\/span> and deported to Guatemala following joint efforts between the two countries and the U.S., officials said at the time.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0Sinaloa Cartel<\/span>\u00a0and the\u00a0Jalisco New Generation Cartel<\/span>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

International cartels, with help from local drug traffickers, traffic drugs and launder money in Guatemala and other Central American countries, fueling regional violence.<\/p>\n

Ninety percent of the cocaine that reaches the U.S. passes through Central America and Mexico in trucks, aircraft, boats and submarines, according to U.S. officials.<\/p>\n

The arrest was announced just one day after a top Jalisco cartel leader with a $5 million U.S. bounty on his head was\u00a0captured while hiding in ditch<\/span>\u00a0in Mexico.<\/p>\n

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