Guatemalan Narco on U.S.' Most Wanted List 'La Chicharra' Captured in Mexico

Aler Baldomero Samayoa Recinos, a prominent Guatemalan drug trafficker also known as "La Chicharra," was apprehended in Chiapas, Mexico. The operation was a collaborative effort involving authorities from Guatemala, Mexico, and the United States.

Samayoa Recinos is the alleged leader of "Los Huistas," a criminal organization born in Huehuetenango, Guatemala. This group has been implicated in smuggling cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin into the United States, often collaborating with Mexican cartels such as Sinaloa and Jalisco Nueva Generación.

As a result of his work with the organization "La Chicharra" has been declared Guatemala's most wanted fugitive and even appears on the U.S.'s 100 most wanted criminals list.

"A great advance in the fight against drug trafficking! With the capture of Aler Baldomero Samayoa Recinas, alias 'Chicharra,' leader of Los Huistas, we are urgently working on his rapid extraction to the United States. This action is the result of a collaboration between the Guatemalan, American, and Mexican authorities."

In March 2022 the U.S. Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions on Los Huistas, designating them as the dominant criminal structure in Huehuetenango. Samayoa Recinos has been a fugitive since 2018, with the U.S. Department of State offering a $10 million reward for information leading to his capture.

Details of the capture

Guatemalan Interior Minister Francisco Jiménez detailed that Samayoa Recinos was detained in Comitán de Domínguez, Chiapas, on March 11, 2025. He had been living in the area under a low profile.

Following his arrest, Mexican authorities handed Samayoa Recinos over to Guatemalan officials. He was transported to Guatemala City, where he is expected to face legal proceedings.

Samayoa Recinos faces charges in both Guatemala and the United States. In 2022, a U.S. federal indictment accused him of overseeing cocaine trafficking operations through Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico, intended for U.S. distribution. Guatemalan law requires that domestic legal matters be resolved before considering extradition, potentially delaying his transfer to the U.S.