Overview
- Federal agents arrested Eugenio Dario Molina-Lopez in San Diego, and he entered a not guilty plea at an initial hearing in the Southern District of California.
- He faces charges of distributing cocaine on a vessel and of international distribution, offenses that can carry life in prison and a $10 million fine, and the vessel count points to sea-based smuggling common in the region.
- Prosecutors say he led the Guatemalan group Los Huistas and helped move nearly four tons of cocaine across several shipments.
- The State Department offered a $10 million reward in 2022 for information leading to his arrest or conviction and described a network of buyers across Mexico.
- Officials have not disclosed how authorities detained him, with a U.S. Attorney’s Office spokesperson declining to provide details.