Guatemalan Drug Kingpin 'Don Dario' Nabbed in San Diego

SAN DIEGO — Eugenio Dario Molina-Lopez, a 61-year-old Guatemalan known as “Don Dario” or “Molis,” was arrested in San Diego on charges stemming from a 2019 federal indictment accusing him of leading Los Huistas, a transnational criminal organization based in Guatemala's Huehuetenango region near the Mexican border.[1][2] The group coordinated large-scale cocaine shipments across international borders, targeting the U.S., with federal prosecutors labeling it one of the globe's most prolific traffickers.[2] Molina-Lopez made his initial appearance in U.S. District Court on Friday, April 24, 2026, pleading not guilty before Judge Dana M. Sabraw.[1][3] The takedown is the culmination of Operation Guerrilla Unit, a multi-year effort spearheaded by Homeland Security Investigations' offices in San Diego, Guatemala City and Mexico City, alongside the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California.[2][3] A federal grand jury indicted Molina-Lopez on Jan. 29, 2019, for conspiracy to distribute cocaine intended for unlawful U.S. importation and conspiracy to distribute cocaine on board a vessel, violations carrying a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $10 million fine.[1] In 2022, the U.S. State Department upped the ante with a reward of up to $10 million for tips leading to his capture.[2] Prosecutors, led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Mokhtari, hailed the arrest as a blow to Central American cartels funneling drugs through California's southern corridors.[3] A motion hearing and trial setting is slated for May 11, 2026, at 9 a.m. before Sabraw in San Diego federal court.[1][3] The case falls under the Homeland Security Task Force initiative from Executive Order 14159, underscoring San Diego's frontline role in combating narcotics flows from Mexico and Central America into the state.[3]