SAN DIEGO, CA – Willian Estuardo Lemus-Lara, a 51-year-old Guatemalan cartel boss known on the streets as “Humilde,” received a 210-month federal prison sentence today for running a massive cocaine smuggling operation. The sentence, handed down in federal court, marks a significant blow to a transcontinental criminal network that pumped tons of the drug into the United States.
Lemus-Lara headed an organization responsible for moving multi-ton quantities of cocaine from South America, utilizing maritime smuggling routes to Guatemala. From there, the cocaine was funneled to conspirators in northwest Guatemala and Mexico before being imported into the United States. Despite years of effort from U.S. law enforcement, Lemus-Lara remained a prolific trafficker, demonstrating a chilling efficiency in his operation.
A five-day period in May 2017 provided a stark illustration of Lemus-Lara’s reach. During that span, he coordinated four separate cocaine-laden vessels. Three of those vessels were intercepted by the U.S. Coast Guard and Guatemala’s Naval Special Forces (FEN), each carrying between 810 and 914 kilograms of cocaine. A fourth vessel successfully delivered 814 kilograms to Lemus-Lara and his network, highlighting the challenges of stemming the flow of drugs across international waters.
The investigation, a long-term joint effort between Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), has led to the indictment and extradition of numerous high-level drug traffickers from South and Central America, including several from Guatemala. This case underscores the global nature of the drug trade and the need for international cooperation to dismantle these organizations.
“This office is committed to aggressively pursuing leaders of drug trafficking organizations who use international waters as a corridor to smuggle cocaine to the United States,” stated U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman. “Today’s sentence marks the culmination of years of efforts by agents and prosecutors to keep those who flood the United States with drugs accountable for their actions.” Chad Plantz, Special Agent in Charge of HSI San Diego, added that the sentencing was “the culmination of years of collaborative efforts” and has “significantly impacted this international criminal organization’s ability to import dangerous drugs.”
DEA Special Agent in Charge Shelly S. Howe emphasized the deadly consequences of international drug trafficking, stating, “International drug trafficking organizations are driving addiction and overdose deaths in the United States.” The case was prosecuted under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) program, which focuses on disrupting and dismantling the highest-level drug trafficking networks. Lemus-Lara was sentenced on Count 1: Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Cocaine on Board a Vessel (Title 46, U.S.C., Section 70503, 70506(b) – Maximum Penalty: Life in prison and $10 million fine) and Count 2: International Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances. Contact Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Mokhtari at (619) 546-8402 for further information. Case Number 18CR0390-DMS.
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Key Facts
- State: California
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Organized Crime|Drug Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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