Pilot wanted by the United States captured while attempting to leave Guatemala for El Salvador

Guatemala's National Civil Police captured pilot Alejandro Beltranena Solís at La Aurora International Airport as he attempted to travel to El Salvador. (PNCdeGuatemala) Guatemala's National Civil Police captured Alejandro Beltranena Solís, a 52-year-old Guatemalan pilot wanted by the United States, as he attempted to leave the country from La Aurora International Airport. The arrest brought the total number of people apprehended for extradition purposes this year, at the request of authorities linked to drug trafficking, kidnapping, sexual crimes, and child exploitation, to 37. Beltranena Solís was intercepted at around 7:02 a.m. in the private flights area of the air terminal, located in zone 13 of the capital, as he was allegedly preparing to travel to El Salvador. The arrest warrant for extradition purposes had been issued in Guatemala on August 25, 2026. The aviator is wanted by authorities in the state of Kansas, United States, on four charges including kidnapping and sexual crimes against a minor. At the federal level, some forms of these charges can carry sentences of several years in prison or even life imprisonment, depending on the circumstances of the case. The operation was carried out by agents of the General Subdirectorate of Anti-Narcotics Information Analysis (SGAIA) and the Division of Ports, Airports, and Border Crossings (Dipafront). After his capture, the aviator was transferred to the Torre de Tribunales, where he was placed at the disposal of judicial authorities while the process for a possible handover to the United States moves forward. Guatemala's National Civil Police captured pilot Alejandro Beltranena Solís at La Aurora International Airport as he attempted to travel to El Salvador. (PNCdeGuatemala) Of the 37 people detained for extradition purposes, 23 face charges related to drug trafficking. The other 14 are wanted for cases involving sexual abuse, kidnapping, and child exploitation. The figure was updated just days after the capture of Max Vinicio Olivares Reyes, accused of coordinating cocaine shipments from South America destined for the US market. The detainee was also known as "Nuca Floja," "Nuca Tiesa," "Señor de los Jets," and "Aleja." The US District Court for the Southern District of Florida is seeking Olivares Reyes for conspiracy to distribute a Schedule II controlled substance. US authorities maintain that he operated as an organizer of Guatemalan drug traffickers from 2019 to September 2025, within a structure based in Guatemala. The investigations describe how he coordinated the reception, transportation, and storage of cocaine shipments entering the country by air and sea. Part of the drugs came from Venezuela and Colombia; some aircraft landed on clandestine runways and other shipments arrived by boat. A Guatemalan security force agent checks documents during an inspection of a citizen and his vehicle at a checkpoint. (Illustrative image Infobae) The recent series of arrests included Joshua Vinizio Arriaza, a 34-year-old Guatemalan-American, captured on Monday by agents of the Transnational Anti-Gang Center in coordination with the Public Prosecutor's Office. The operation took place at a property in the Mario Alioto López Sánchez neighborhood, zone four of Villa Nueva. The state of Arizona is seeking Arriaza's extradition on ten charges related to the sexual exploitation of a minor. During the raid, he locked himself in a room and self-inflicted injuries, for which he received medical attention while in police custody. The previous Saturday, SGAIA agents detained Urias López Galeano on route RN-10, at the entrance to San Miguel Dueñas, Sacatepéquez. The Colombian citizen, 58, known as "Carlos" and "Indio," was apprehended along with a vehicle and a cell phone, which were seized as evidence. López Galeano is wanted by the United States for conspiracy to manufacture and distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, manufacturing and distributing that quantity of drugs, and conspiracy to possess them with intent to distribute. Also detained was Mauro Ismael Morales Martínez, known as "Melito," "Melito de Zacapa," and "Ojudo," at kilometer 122 of the Atlantic highway, in Teculután, Zacapa. The US District Court for the Southern District of Florida is seeking him for conspiracy to distribute a Schedule II controlled substance. According to the official investigation, Morales Martínez coordinated between 2012 and 2023 the land transportation of cocaine shipments from Venezuela and Colombia destined for Guatemala. Authorities also link him to drug trafficking structures operating in the country's northeastern region. The operations for extradition requests remain the responsibility of the SGAIA, which maintains surveillance on land routes, airports, and transit points together with the Public Prosecutor's Office. The cases being investigated by US courts include the transportation, reception, and distribution of cocaine destined for the US market.