Authorities in Guatemala capture alleged narco wanted by United States

Guatemalan police captured an alleged drug trafficker who is requested for extradition by the United States for transferring drugs to that country from South America, the entity’s spokesman, Pablo Castillo, said Sunday.

“We report the capture of José Amaya Bonilla, 38, who had an arrest warrant for extradition to the United States for conspiracy and drug trafficking from Colombia and Ecuador to Costa Rica, Panama, Guatemala and Mexico,” he said.

Castillo explained that Amaya Bonilla was captured in the historic center of the Guatemalan capital by an order issued by a criminal judge on February 5, 2017.

The capture was made when Guatemalan anti-narcotics police officers conducted identity checks and marked the stop of the vehicle driven by the alleged narco chief.

In 2018, Guatemala seized 17,897 kilos of cocaine — up from the 13,659 kilos the previous year.

International cartels operate in Central America and, with the help of local bosses, traffic drugs and launder money, impacting the high crime rate in the region.

The United States estimates that 90% of the cocaine that arrives in the country is transported by light aircraft, boats and submarines through Mexico and Central America.