04/27/11— Waldemar Lorenzana Lima, also known by his alias “El Patriarca,” was arrested while driving in El Jicaro, 40 miles from Guatemala City, by Guatemalan police with the help of U.S. agents on Tuesday, April 26. Lima is a 71-year-old suspected drug lord from Guatemala who has been wanted by the U.S. and Guatemalan authorities for his alleged involvement in smuggling cocaine from Colombia to the U.S. for the Mexican Sinaloa drug cartel.
CNN International said that he utilized the location of Guatemala as a “transhipment” point for the drugs coming in from Colombia and then transferred them to Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, most likely to be distributed in the United States. Guatemala, as well as other Central American countries, are becoming more commonly used as shipping grounds for drugs and there has been a related increased amount of violence seen in these countries due to links with drug cartels from Colombia and Mexico.
The U.S. had offered rewards of up to $500,000 dollars for any information that would lead to Lima’s arrest. The U.S. has been searching for him since 2009. Carlos Menacol, the U.S. Inferior Minister, has stated that the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Drug Enforcement Administration have both aided in the search and arrest of Lima. The U.S. Treasury Department has also placed his three sons, Eliu, Haroldo, and Waldemar, on a list of “alleged Central American kingpins,” according to BBC News.
Sources:
CNN Wire Staff. “Guatemalan kingpin, wanted in U.S., captured.” CNN International. April 27, 2011.
“Guatemala arrests suspected drug kingpin sought by US.” BBC News. April 27, 2011.
