Guatemala City, Jan 10 (EFE). - Guatemalan authorities have extradited to the United States Guatemalan Hamilton Josué Paz Fuentes, alias "La Osa," who was wanted on drug trafficking and money laundering charges, official sources confirmed on Saturday. Paz Fuentes became the first person extradited in 2026 for drug trafficking after all legal avenues in the Central American country were exhausted, according to the Ministry of the Interior. The transfer operation was carried out at the facilities of the Guatemalan Air Force (FAG), where the individual was taken into custody by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). According to the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala, "La Osa" is accused of collaborating in the transport of large shipments of cocaine from South America to U.S. territory and of laundering illicit capital for the Sinaloa Cartel, an organization designated by Washington as a foreign terrorist group. The detention of the alleged drug trafficker took place on September 12, 2025, in the department of San Marcos, on the border with Mexico, thanks to units funded by the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL). According to records from the National Civil Police (PNC), Paz Fuentes led a criminal structure that used maritime routes to move drugs through Nicaragua and El Salvador. U.S. justice, specifically a court in Florida, is seeking the Guatemalan for the crime of conspiracy to transport five or more kilograms of cocaine. Official figures from the Interior Ministry detail that during 2025, anti-narcotics forces captured 19 people requested for extradition by the U.S. Likewise, since the start of the Guatemalan president Bernardo Arévalo de León's administration in January 2024, the number of drug traffickers detained under this condition adds up to 38. Due to its geographical position, Guatemala functions as a strategic bridge for international cartels that move narcotics to the main consumer market.
