The Guatemalan Police arrested in several operations an alleged Guatemalan narcotrafficker and a dangerous Salvadoran gang member wanted for extradition by the United States, the security institution reported on February 4.
Anti-narcotics agents arrested Carlos Cáceres, 33, while he was driving a pickup truck in the municipality of Mixco, east of Guatemala City, Jorge Aguilar, a spokesperson for the National Civil Police, told reporters.
Cáceres is accused of “conspiracy to manufacture and distribute” cocaine shipments into the United States, Aguilar said, adding that officers seized four firearms from the subject during the operation.
In addition, security forces captured the alleged Salvadoran gang member Henry Salmerón, 21, in the eastern outskirts of the capital, also wanted for extradiction by the United States.
“This dangerous gang member is wanted by U.S. authorities” for offenses involving organized crime and murders, the police officer said.
According to Guatemalan authorities, large international cartels use Guatemala and the rest of Central America to transport drugs and launder money with the help of local narcotraffickers, boosting the criminal violence that afflicts the region.
Violence is also linked to gang activity, mainly by the fearsome Barrio 18 and Mara Salvatrucha, which engage in extortion and contract killing.