Alleged Drug Trafficker Extradited from Guatemala

SAN DIEGO – Erick Alexander Granados Garcia, who is believed responsible for trafficking large amounts of cocaine into the United States from Colombia, Ecuador and Mexico, appeared in federal court yesterday following his extradition from Guatemala.

Granados Garcia was indicted by a federal grand jury in the Southern District of California in June 2017 for Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Cocaine on Board a Vessel. Granados Garcia was apprehended by Guatemalan authorities on August 21, 2017, and Guatemala granted the United States’ extradition request on October 29, 2025. The defendant arrived in San Diego on Monday.

At yesterday’s hearing, Granados Garcia was arraigned and entered a not-guilty plea before U.S. Magistrate Judge Allison H. Goddard.

This case stemmed from a long-term investigation targeting high-level organizations operating Colombian, Ecuadorian, and Guatemalan-based cocaine production and transportation organizations. These organizations historically transported cocaine into Guatemala and Mexico and then to locations in San Diego and Los Angeles. From there, traffickers delivered the drugs to distributors throughout California and the East Coast of the United States. Investigators learned that the targets use commercial and private airplanes, fishing vessels, go-fast boats, and maritime containers for the illicit movement of narcotics and narcotics proceeds. Agents coordinated the interdiction of at least 45 bulk cocaine shipment events conducted in multiple jurisdictions and multiple foreign countries. Thus far, these operations have resulted in the seizure of approximately $4.7 million and 60,230 kilograms of cocaine from 93 bulk seizure events.

The Justice Department extends its gratitude to the Government of Guatemala and its prosecutorial and law enforcement authorities for making the extradition possible. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala provided significant assistance in securing the defendant’s arrest and extradition from Guatemala. The U.S. Marshals Service assisted in bringing the defendant back to the United States. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle B. Martin.

DEFENDANT                                                                               Case Number 17-cr-01465-JES     

Erick Alexander Granados Garcia                                         Age: 46                       Guatemala

SUMMARY OF CHARGES

Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Cocaine on Board a Vessel – Title 46, U.S.C., Sections 70503 and 70506(b). Term of custody including a mandatory minimum 10 years and up to life imprisonment, $10 million fine.

INVESTIGATING AGENCIES

Drug Enforcement Administration

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation

United States Marshals Service

United States Coast Guard

Customs and Border Protection

United States Border Patrol

The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF San Diego comprises agents and officers from FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, DEA, ATF, U.S. Marshals, Department of Defense, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, IRS Criminal Investigation, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Interpol, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California.