Man, 24, held with 18 large marijuana packages in Ilopango
Soldiers and the National Civil Police detained 24-year-old Kevin Josué Galeas Franco in the comunidad La Esperanza, Ilopango, San Salvador Este, seizing 18 large marijuana packages, plus scales and two phones. He was to be sent to the courts for alleged illicit drug trafficking, with no weight or court outcome reported.
🇸🇻 comunidad La Esperanza, Ilopango district, San Salvador Este · El Salvador
Soldiers and the National Civil Police arrested 24-year-old Kevin Josué Galeas
Franco in the comunidad La Esperanza, in the Ilopango district of San Salvador
Este.[1]The operation took place on the morning of Sunday 12 July 2026.[2]Elements of the Fuerza Armada de El Salvador, the country’s armed forces,
located him during an operation in the comunidad La Esperanza.[3]After the
intervention the suspect was handed over to the Policía Nacional Civil.[3]He
was to be sent to the courts for the offence of illicit drug trafficking.[1]
The authorities seized 18 packages of marijuana, two electronic scales and two
mobile phones.[4]According to the official report, he also had a glass jar
holding an additional quantity of the same substance.[2]No weight or market
value for the marijuana was published.[2]
Defence Minister René Francis Merino Monroy announced the seizure on his X
account.[4]“Seguimos golpeando el narcomenudeo y cerrando cada espacio
utilizado para contaminar nuestras comunidades con droga, protegiendo la
tranquilidad, seguridad y salud de las familias salvadoreñas,” the minister
published.[2]He said the operation formed part of the strategy to hit
narcomenudeo, street-level drug dealing, and close the spaces used to distribute
drugs.[4]
Photos and video
Police handout photo related to the capture of Kevin Josué Galeas Franco with 18 large marijuana packages in Ilopango. Photo: Fuerza Armada de El Salvador via InfobaePhoto details
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Source: InfobaePolice handout photo related to the operation in comunidad La Esperanza that seized marijuana, two digital scales and two mobile phones. Photo: Policía Nacional Civil via InfobaePhoto details
No weight or value for the 18 packages or the additional jar of marijuana was published, so only the arrest is recorded as a figure.
The morning operation date of 12 July 2026 comes from the reports describing the morning of that Sunday and the 12 July publication; Diario El Salvador and Diario La Página imply a military-led procedure, while Infobae describes a joint police and army capture.
No charge, custody ruling or court outcome beyond referral for alleged illicit drug trafficking has been reported.
Coordinates are for the centre of Ilopango district, not a mapped point inside the comunidad La Esperanza.
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.
