HSI San Diego, multiagency case results in high-level trafficker pleading guilty to international cocaine trafficking

SAN DIEGO — A Guatemalan national pleaded guilty Dec. 14 to working with co-conspirators to coordinate the smuggling large quantities of cocaine from South America through Guatemala with the ultimate destination of the United States. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Diego led the investigation with considerable assistance from HSI Guatemala.

Augusto Jean Carlo Castillo-Hernandez aka Metal aka Joker, 34, of Guatemala, was arrested on Aug. 31, 2021, in Guatemala and extradited to the United States in February 2022 along with two other people.

“This guilty plea of a known drug trafficker is the culmination of years of collaborative efforts between HSI and our partners at the Department of Justice,” said HSI San Diego Special Agent in Charge Chad Plantz. “The joint effort has significantly impacted this international criminal organization’s ability to import dangerous drugs into the United States.”

Court documents described Castillo-Hernandez as an organizer and leader in the conspiracy to distribute cocaine in Guatemala and elsewhere. The conspiracy spanned from at least 2017 to July 2020.

The defendants were arrested as part of a multiyear investigation targeting high-level cocaine traffickers operating in northwest Guatemala. The investigation exposed the inner workings of cocaine trafficking in that country. The probe involved multiple countries, multiple law enforcement agencies around the United States, and multiple federal districts.

“This case demonstrates the impact of dedicated partnerships across the United States, reaching into Guatemala to prevent immeasurable amounts of cocaine from arriving on our streets,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “While Mr. Castillo-Hernandez is being held accountable today, the bigger message is to the organizers who push this poison north. The long arm of American justice will reach across the globe to protect our communities.”

The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and its Office of Enforcement Operations, along with the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force, provided substantial assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of the defendant.

The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California is prosecuting the case. The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 23, 2024, at 9 a.m. before Chief U.S. District Judge Dana M. Sabraw.

HSI is the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel and finance move. HSI’s workforce of more than 8,700 employees consists of more than 6,000 special agents assigned to 237 cities throughout the United States, and 93 overseas locations in 56 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’ largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.

Source: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE.gov)