10 arrested in El Salvador ring that cut drugs with medicine
Police and prosecutors in El Salvador arrested 10 alleged members of an international drug-trafficking structure on 13 February 2026, including a doctor and nurse accused of supplying medicine to cut drugs. Raids seized marijuana alongside methamphetamine, cocaine, tusi and 108 boxes of controlled medicine, plus vehicles and $20,000 in cash.
The Attorney General’s Office and the National Civil Police detained 10 people
in an early-morning operation on 13 February 2026 accused of forming an alleged
drug-trafficking structure operating internationally from El Salvador.[1][2]The
detainees were identified as Andrea Santamaría, Raquel Mejía, Jonathan
Marroquín, Verónica Santamaría, Glenda Romero, José Rivera, Joel Rojas, Pedro
López, José Ávila and Élmer Peñate.[1]Among those detained were a doctor and
a nurse who, according to authorities, supplied controlled medicine used to
adulterate the trafficked drugs.[1]Authorities said the 10 will face charges
of illicit trafficking, cooperation in drug trafficking, illicit association,
active bribery and improper bribery.[1]
Officers carried out several raids that seized methamphetamine, cocaine,
marijuana, a drug known as tusi and 108 boxes of controlled medicine.[1][3][2]Officers also seized vehicles, electronic devices, documents and $20,000 in cash
during the operation.[1]
Prosecutors said one of the main suppliers of the drugs the group adulterated
and trafficked was Guatemalan Luis Alfredo Zuleta, who was killed in Guatemala
in December 2024 in suspected gang disputes.[1]Prosecutors said Zuleta
coordinated drug entry with another structure leader, William Leiva Hernández,
who is serving a prison sentence for illicit trafficking.[1]
The investigation identified the network as operating in various countries, with the participation of Guatemalan citizen Luis Alfredo Zuleta, who was coordinating the entry of drugs into El Salvador.[2]Officers also seized electronic devices and documentation useful to the investigation.[2]
Photos and video
Canine agents of the National Civil Police taking part in the 13 February 2026 operation against the alleged drug-trafficking structure. Photo: FGR via La Prensa GráficaPhoto details
Infobaeinfobae.comESDesarticulan red internacional de narcotráfico en El Salvador con vínculos en Guatemala
Infobaeinfobae.comESLa Fiscalía de El Salvador captura a personas vinculadas a una red que distribuía cocaína, marihuana y metanfetaminas
Open questions the AI reported
No weight or separate quantity for the seized marijuana was published, so no kilograms can be recorded.
The $20,000 in cash, vehicles, devices and documents are combined operation totals not specific to cannabis, so they are not recorded as cannabis value.
No charge filing, custody ruling or court outcome beyond the announced accusations has been reported.
No city or department for the raids was published, so the place is recorded at country level.
Only one source for this event could be opened; no second account confirming or adding facts was found.
Infobae dates Zuleta's killing in Guatemala to October 2024, while the report's La Prensa Gráfica source said December 2024; no other account resolved the discrepancy.
Infobae's charge list for the detainees includes improper bribery (cohecho impropio) among the offences, which the report's earlier account did not list.
El Salvador's Attorney General's Office and National Civil Police arrested a 41-year-old man at his home in the residencial Santa Teresa in Santa Tecla, La Libertad Sur, on 6 November 2026, seizing portions of marijuana and cocaine along with grinders, pipes, a scale and two phones. Police said he would be sent to the courts for illicit drug trafficking; no weights or court outcome were reported.
National Civil Police agents arrested César Danilo López Hernández, 34, inside a higher-education centre in San Salvador on 6 November 2026, saying he carried marijuana and cash hidden in a backpack and tried to flee. Police did not identify the university or give the amount of marijuana or money, and said he will be referred for possession and holding with intent to traffic.
El Salvador's Attorney General's Office and National Civil Police carried out five raids in San Salvador Centro and arrested a man and a woman accused of forcing minors to sell drugs, with a third arrest warrant outstanding. Investigators said the case began in October 2026 when a 15-year-old caught selling drugs told officers adults beat him and made him distribute the substances.
El Salvador's National Civil Police arrested 21-year-old Ederson Stanley Santos Bermúdez in the Mejicanos district of San Salvador Centro on 4 November 2026 and seized several bags of marijuana it said were prepared for sale, plus a mobile phone. He was to be referred for possession and holding of drugs, with no weight or court outcome reported.
