El Salvador’s National Civil Police arrested Guillermo Aldair Laureano Meléndez and Héctor Wilfredo Jovel in the colonia La Esperanza of the Quezaltepeque district, La Libertad Norte.[1] Police said the two men were stopped on the night of Monday 9 February 2026 while carrying drugs in a vehicle.[1] Infobae dates the arrests in the colonia La Esperanza, Quezaltepeque, to 9 February 2026.[2]

During the procedure officers seized several portions of marijuana, the car the two men were travelling in and two digital scales.[3] Diario1 reported that the scales were suspected of being used to sell the drug.[3]

Police said both men would be referred to court on a charge of illicit drug trafficking.[1]

The Second Sentencing Court of Santa Tecla sentenced Guillermo Aldair Laureano Meléndez to ten years in prison for illicit drug trafficking after evaluating the evidence presented at the public hearing.[4][5][6] In the same case the court sentenced Héctor J. E. to three years in prison for possession and holding of drugs.[4][5] His term was replaced by work of public utility, so he will not serve it in a prison but through activities set by the corresponding authorities.[4][5] Laboratory analysis confirmed that the marijuana seized from Laureano Meléndez weighed 386.2 grams in total, and police also took a mobile phone, a vehicle and two digital scales from him.[4][5] The arrest was made during a preventive police patrol in the colonia La Esperanza, Quezaltepeque, La Libertad Norte, on 9 February 2026.[4][5][6] During the search of the vehicle, officers found five portions of marijuana stored in glass jars, leading to his arrest in flagrante delicto.[6] El Blog reported the same ten-year sentence from the Santa Tecla court, and that the co-defendant had 34.8 grams of marijuana in his possession.[7][5]