Guatemala’s most wanted fugitive, Aler Baldomero Samayoa Recinos, aka “La Chicharra,” was captured in the southern state of Chiapas on Tuesday.
Mexico’s Security Ministry processed Samayoa in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, the Chiapas state capital, then transported him to the Guatemalan border that same day where he was handed over to Interpol.
Guatemala’s most wanted criminal captured in Mexico
The fugitive a.k.a. “La Chicharra” was arrested on March 11 in Chiapas, Mexico. The leader of the criminal organisation “Los Huistas” is subject of an INTERPOL Red Notice and was transferred to 🇬🇹@MinGobGuate @FJimenezmingob pic.twitter.com/Yukj9x81d4
— INTERPOL #MostWanted 🟥 #RedNotice fugitives (@interpolwanted) March 13, 2025
The three-month operation to capture “La Chicharra” — the alleged leader of the notorious Guatemalan crime gang Los Huistas — was a joint effort carried out by Mexican, Guatemalan and U.S. authorities.
“La Chicharra” had fled Guatemala late last year after escaping arrest during an earlier stage of the joint operation.
Guatemalan Interior Minister Francisco Jiménez applauded the apprehension of Samayoa Recinos in a social media post, referring to him as the country’s No. 1 fugitive. The suspect faces charges of “illicit association” in Guatemala.
In addition to being the most wanted man in Guatemala, “La Chicharra” was sought by U.S. authorities, appearing on a U.S. list of the 100 most wanted criminals.
A U.S. federal indictment accusing the suspect of cocaine trafficking and money laundering was unsealed in 2022. The indictment links “La Chicharra” to major drug distribution networks, alleging he was in charge of shipping cocaine from the department of Huehuetenango in the western highlands of Guatemala across the Mexican border and into Chiapas.
In a social media post, the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala praised the operation that led to the capture of “La Chicharra.”
“Major progress in the fight against drug trafficking!” the embassy wrote, adding that the arrest will “ensure his swift extradition to the United States.” The message also lauded the joint operation for “strengthening the fight against organized crime.”
Also mentioned in the indictment is Eugenio Darío Molina López, another alleged leader of Los Huistas. The group’s name is derived from the municipality of Santa Ana Huista, a municipality in Huehuetenango.
La cooperación interagencial entre Guatemala, Estados Unidos de América y México, permitió la captura y traslado hacia torres de tribunales del extraditable alias “Chicharra”, uno de los máximos líderes de la organización criminal “Los Huistas”. pic.twitter.com/AF6OTVGScD
— MinGob (@mingobguate) March 12, 2025
The U.S. Treasury is offering US $10 million for information leading to the capture of Molina, who is wanted on drug trafficking charges in the southern district of California.
Los Huistas, characterized as a violent crime gang by Guatemala authorities, are said to traffic in cocaine, methamphetamines and heroin, while also controlling poppy fields in the departments of Huehuetenango and San Marcos.
The U.S. indictment alleges that Los Huistas maintained close ties to Mexico’s two biggest criminal organizations, the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).
“La Chicharra” was taken to Guatemala’s Federal Court Towers and is awaiting extradition procedures that could send him to the U.S. However, extradition could be delayed because Guatemalan law requires suspects to face justice at home before they can be extradited.
With reports from Infobae, Proceso, Telemundo and Línea Directa
