Central American Drug Trafficker Extradited to the United States on Federal Violations

PLANO, Texas – A Nicaraguan national has been extradited from Honduras to the United States to face drug trafficking violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston today. 

Raduan Omar Zamora Mayorga, also known as Jose Luis Oliva Meza and “El señor de los cielos” and “patrón de patrones” (in English “the lord of the skies” and “the boss of bosses”), 41, of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, was indicted by a federal grand jury on June 10, 2020, and charged with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute cocaine knowing it would be imported to the United States and manufacturing and distributing cocaine knowing it would be distributed into the United States.  On May 15, 2022, Zamora Mayorga was arrested in Honduras pursuant to a provisional arrest request by the United States and subsequently, extradited to the United States on August 18, 2022.  He appeared in federal court in Plano, Texas on August 22, 2022, for an initial appearance and arraignment and was ordered to be detained pending trial.   

According to the indictment, in approximately 2008, an investigation by U.S. law enforcement authorities identified a large-scale drug trafficking organization (DTO) operating throughout South, Central, and North America.  The DTO used a sophisticated infrastructure to manufacture, acquire, store, transport and distribute multi-ton quantities of cocaine destined for the United States.  It utilized go-fast speedboats, shipping vessels, submersible watercraft, aircraft, semi-trailer trucks and other motor vehicles to transport large cocaine shipments.  The cocaine would originate in Colombia and Ecuador, where it is manufactured, processed, and packaged at clandestine drug laboratories.  The drugs would then be transported to and through Panama, Costa Rica, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Mexico on their way northward.  Portions of the cocaine shipments were ultimately imported into the United States for further distribution.  The resulting drug proceeds were transported from the United States back to and through the above noted countries.

Information received from confidential sources and law enforcement authorities indicated that Zamora Mayorga was an important member of the DTO operating out of Honduras who allegedly conspired with other DTO members to acquire and transport large cocaine shipments.  Zamora Mayorga is alleged to have supplied large quantities of cocaine in Guatemala and elsewhere on behalf of the DTO.  According to the indictment, Zamora Mayorga used his own transportation network to smuggle cocaine shipments from Costa Rica, Honduras, and Guatemala for further distribution to the United States.  Zamora Mayorga and his co-conspirators were responsible for the importation of thousands of kilograms of cocaine to the United States.  

If convicted, Zamora Mayorga faces 10 years to life in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. 

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. 

This case is being investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ernest Gonzalez.

The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with law enforcement partners in Honduras to secure the arrest and extradition of Zamora Mayorga to the United States. Special thanks to the Government of Honduras for their help in the capture and extradition of Zamora Mayorga.

An indictment is not evidence of guilt.  All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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