Guatemala city. The Guatemalan authorities captured this Wednesday at the La Aurora airport an alleged Mexican drug trafficker leader, sought in extradition by the United States on charges of trafficking fentanyl and methamphetamine, the Prosecutor’s Office reported.
The Mexican, identified as Luis Alberto Márquez, 44, is required by the District Court of Maryland for the crime of conspiracy to distribute these synthetic drugs, said the spokesperson for the Public Ministry (prosecutor’s office), María José Mansilla.
“The investigation identified the person required as one of the leaders of an organization in Mexico,” the official told reporters.
He claimed that Márquez “supervised the supply and transportation of fentanyl and methamphetamine in Mexico, and arranged for the drug to be trafficked to the United States for sale and attempted sale.”
The alleged drug trafficker was arrested on Tuesday night by prosecutors in coordination with agents of the National Civil Police (PNC) when he tried to enter the country through La Aurora airport, the only one in the Guatemalan capital.
The apprehended arrived on a commercial flight from his country, he added.
With the capture of Márquez, there have been 19 arrests for extradition purposes coordinated by the Public Ministry so far in 2023, 14 for crimes related to drug trafficking.
With the help of local drug traffickers, international cartels use Guatemala and the rest of Central America to transit drugs to Mexico and the United States.
According to Washington, 90 percent of the cocaine that enters its territory passes through Mexico and Central America in small planes, boats, and submarines.
