A Guatemalan national wanted for international cocaine trafficking and maritime smuggling has been extradited to the United States.
Rafael Orlando Ramirez Barillas, aka ‘Thor,’ appeared in federal court in San Diego on Friday, February 11, 2022, and was ordered detained pending trial.
According to court documents, Ramirez Barillas, 38, was charged with operating a conspiracy to distribute five kilograms and more of cocaine in Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Mexico, and elsewhere, knowing and intending that the cocaine would be unlawfully imported into the United States.
He is also charged with being in a conspiracy to distribute five kilograms and more of cocaine on board a vessel.
Prosecutors alleged that Ramirez Barillas was the partner of convicted Guatemalan drug trafficker Luis Carlos Melgar-Morales, aka ‘Aquaman,’ who admitted to distributing over 10,000 kilograms of cocaine during an approximately two-year conspiracy.
As part of the conspiracy, Ramirez Barillas and his co-conspirators coordinated the smuggling of multi-ton quantities of cocaine from South America to Guatemala with an ultimate destination of the United States.
During the investigation, the United States Coast Guard made multiple seizures of cocaine from vessels on international waters that were linked to Ramirez Barillas and his co-conspirators.
Ramirez Barillas was arrested in Guatemala on July 17, 2021, pursuant to an extradition request from the United States. Guatemala subsequently granted his extradition, and on February 10, 2022, Ramirez Barillas was extradited to the US.
U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman said, ‘This office is committed to aggressively pursuing drug traffickers in Central America who use international waters as a corridor to smuggle cocaine to the United States.’
Key Facts
- State: California
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Organized Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
Drug Trafficking|Organized CrimeDrug Trafficking|Organized CrimeDrug Trafficking|Organized CrimeDrug Trafficking|Organized Crime