Guatemala City, Guatemala
Guatemalan police arrested an alleged one Guatemalan drug dealer and a “dangerous” Salvadoran gang member who was extradited by US law enforcement in several operations, the security agency reported Thursday.
Agents anti-narcotics they held on Carlos Caceres, 33, while driving a truck in Mixco Municipality, bordering east with Guatemala City, Jorge Aguilar, a spokesman for the National Civil Police, told reporters.
Cáceres is charged with “conspiring to manufacture and distribute shipments of cocaine” to the United States, Aguilar said, adding that the uniformed agents confiscated four firearms during the operation.
On the other hand, security forces have captured alleged Salvadoran gang member Henry Salmerón, 21, in a sector of the capital’s suburbs, which was also demanded by the United States for extradition.
“This dangerous gang member is wanted by US authorities” for crimes related to organized crime and murders, the police officer said.
According to Guatemalan authorities, major international cartels with the help of local drug traffickers are using Guatemala and the rest of Central America to transport drugs and launder money, which is affecting the criminal violence ravaging the region.
The violence is also linked to the activity of gangs, mainly the dreaded Barrio 18 and Mara Salvatrucha, who commit extortion and hitmen.