U.S. authorities delivered a major blow to drug trafficking networks in Central America with the arrest of Eugenio Darío Molina-Lopéz, the alleged leader of The Huistas, a criminal organization based in northwestern Guatemala.
Also known as "Don Darío," Molina-López was arrested in San Diego and had a $10 million bounty on his head. He is accused of international conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, criminal forfeiture and conspiracy to distribute cocaine aboard a vessel.
Molina-López made his initial appearance in federal court on Friday, April 24, and entered a not guilty plea. A motion hearing and trial setting is scheduled for May 11 before U.S. District Judge Dana M. Sabraw.
"Cartel leaders don't get to write the end of their stories. We do," said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon. "And once again, the final chapter for a man alleged to be one of the world's most notorious and prolific cocaine traffickers is here in the Southern District of California."
Who is Don Dario?
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California, Molina-López's arrest was the culmination of a multi-year investigation led by Homeland Security Investigations, HSI Attaché Guatemala City, and the U.S. Attorney's Office in San Diego.
Molina-López is believed to have been the main leader of The Huistas since March 2025, when another top leader of the organization and one of Washington's top 100 most-wanted fugitives, Aler Baldomero Samayoa, also known as "Chicharra," was arrested in Mexico and deported to Guatemala.
The arrest of Don Darío marks a significant blow to The Huistas, which operate primarily in the Huehuetenango region of northwestern Guatemala, near the border with Mexico.
According to InSight Crime, The Huistas are among the most powerful drug trafficking organizations in Guatemala and have been active in Huehuetenango since the late 1990s. The group initially operated as an affiliate of larger Mexican cartels but later built its own networks, allowing it to traffic large quantities of cocaine from Central America to the United States.
In addition to drug trafficking, The Huistas have developed a network of legitimate businesses, including hotels, recreation centers, workshops and construction companies.
In 2022, the United States imposed sanctions on the group, describing it as "the dominant criminal structure in the Guatemalan department of Huehuetenango," the same year a reward for Don Darío was announced.
Molina-Lopez's arrest was announced just one day after Audias Flores Silva, a top Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader with a $5 million reward, was captured in Nayarit, Mexico.
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