A man accused of leading one of the world’s largest cocaine trafficking organizations has been arrested in San Diego, according to federal prosecutors.
Eugenio Dario Molina-Lopez, 61, also known as Dan Dario or Molise, is accused of being the leader of Los Huistas, a drug-trafficking organization based in northwest Guatemala near the Mexican border, prosecutors said. He appeared in his initial court appearance on Thursday and pleaded not guilty.
The arrest is connected to Operation Guerrilla Unit, a multi-year investigation led by the Department of Homeland Security Investigations, federal prosecutors in San Diego, and law enforcement partners in Guatemala and Mexico. Authorities said the investigation targeted Molina-Lopez, the organization, and a network of high-level cocaine suppliers operating in several countries.
“Cartel leaders don’t get a chance to write the end of their stories,” said Adam Gordon, the top federal prosecutor for the Southern District of California.
Prosecutors said Los Huistas was responsible for coordinating large-scale cocaine shipments across international borders and was one of the largest cocaine traffickers in the world.
Molina-Lopez was originally charged in a 2019 federal indictment with conspiracy to distribute cocaine for importation into the United States and conspiracy to distribute cocaine on a vessel.
In 2022, the US State Department offered a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to his arrest.
If convicted, Molina-Lopez faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and a $10 million fine, according to prosecutors. A motion hearing and trial setting is scheduled for May 11.
