Minister of Justice recently announced the capture of Daniel Alejandro Guzmán Rodríguez, alias «Pitufo,» one of the most wanted drug traffickers in the region. His arrest marks a significant victory in the country’s ongoing fight against drug-related crime.
According to Minister of Justice and Public Security Gustavo Villatoro, the government remains committed to eliminating those who manufacture and distribute illicit drugs. «We will eliminate from our society those who manufacture and sell the poison of drugs. Now the full weight of the law will fall upon them, and we, as a state, will ensure that they never see the light of day again,» Villatoro stated.
The operation was carried out through a coordinated effort involving the National Civil Police (PNC), the Attorney General’s Office (FGR), the Supreme Court (Corte Suprema de Justicia), and Guatemalan authorities. Guzmán Rodríguez was initially apprehended in Guatemala in August 2024 after attempting to flee El Salvador and change his identity to evade justice.
Since 2010, he operated a clandestine drug laboratory in Ahuachapán, where he stored and processed narcotics for distribution throughout western and central El Salvador. Now extradited and back in Salvadoran custody, he faces a 30-year sentence for homicide and additional charges for illicit trafficking and criminal association.
The Salvadoran government affirms that it has all necessary tools to continue dismantling criminal networks and will persist in collaborating with international partners to bring criminals to justice.