Guatemala: Cocaine Kingpin Captured

News

Guatemalan authorities captured alleged cocaine kingpin Waldemar Lorenzana Cordon Tuesday in the southwestern department of Zacapa. He is wanted for extradition to the United States.

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September 19th, 2013
Drugs Police

Lorenzana Cordon escaped a raid on a farm Tuesday morning only to be captured two hours later at another one of his properties, according to the Guatemalan newspaper Prensa Libre.

The US Drug Enforcement Administration aided Guatemalan police in capturing Lorenzana Cordon, one of the last remaining active members of the Lorenzana family. It is expected that he will be extradited to New York. Lorenzana Cordon faces charges of conspiracy to traffic drugs into the United States.

Lorenzana Cordon's capture comes more than two years after the arrest of his father Waldemar Lorenzana Sr., known as "The Patriarch", in April 2011. Waldemar Jr.'s younger brother Elio was arrested peacefully by Guatemalan forces later that year. Waldemar Jr.'s brother and father were both extradited to the United States following their captures.

The arrests are major victories for Guatemalan authorities after a series of botched raids targeting the Lorenzanas which failed to capture any family members.

The last remaining active family members are Ovaldino Lorenzana Cordon and Marta Julia Lorenzana Cordon, both facing sanctions from the US Treasury Department.

The Lorenzana family has known ties to the Mexican Sinaloa cartel.

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