Guatemala's President Bernardo Arévalo de León reported on Monday that his country has detained 32 individuals so far this year for extradition to the United States, 19 of them on drug trafficking charges. The most recent detention took place between last Friday and Saturday, when security forces captured two alleged drug traffickers sought by Texas courts (USA) in different locations across Guatemala. One arrest was made on Saturday, when agents from the National Civil Police's (PNC) Anti-Narcotics Analysis and Information Directorate (SGAIA) and prosecutors from the Public Ministry (Attorney General's Office) detained Elmer Antonio Pancán, also known as “Chepío”. According to the PNC's SGAIA, the Guatemalan national was located and arrested in Santa Cruz del Quiché, in the department (province) of Quiché (northwest). Pancán is accused of leading a structure dedicated to drug trafficking in the municipality of Los Amates, in the Caribbean province of Izabal, which borders Honduras. The extradition request details that the Guatemalan is wanted on two charges related to drug trafficking. Initial investigations identified a drug trafficking organization based in Guatemala that, between 2017 and 2024, was dedicated to importing large quantities of cocaine into the United States. Pancán is said to have served as coordinator of this structure in Guatemala, responsible for directing, managing, and supervising its illicit activities. The U.S. Attorney's Office detailed that illicit proceeds from the United States and Mexico were subsequently transferred to the Central American country. Due to its geographical location, Guatemalan territory is frequently used as a bridge by international drug trafficking networks to transport cocaine from South America to the U.S. market.
