HomeGuatemalaJuan Alberto Ortiz Lopez, alias "Juan Chamale"
GUATEMALA

Juan Alberto Ortiz Lopez, alias "Juan Chamale"

GUATEMALA PERSONALITIES / LATEST UPDATE 2017-03-09 22:42:30 EN

Until his arrest in March 2011, Juan Alberto Ortiz Lopez, alias "Juan Chamale," was ranked by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) as Guatemala's number one drug trafficker. He was known as Guatemala's "Heroin King" and served as a key contact for the Sinaloa Cartel.

History

Ortiz was heavily involved in cocaine trafficking, and was accused by US authorities of helping to move over 40 tons of cocaine through Central America en route to the United States. Ortiz worked with local fishermen to smuggle cocaine in small fishing boats and may have also commissioned semi-submersibles to transport the drug.

Juan Chamale Factbox

DOB: Unknown

Group: Ran drug transport network

Criminal Activities: Drug trafficking, opium poppy cultivation

Status: Extradited May 2014

Area of Operation: San Marcos province, Guatemala

Ortiz also controlled a major opium poppy producing area, the province of San Marcos, where he was a popular local figure. When Ortiz was arrested in 2011, locals protested to demand his release. He owned at least ten estates in his area of operations and provided numerous jobs, in addition to cultivating local support by throwing parties and sponsoring beauty contests.

Criminal Activities

Ortiz was involved in cocaine trafficking and poppy cultivation for heroin production.

Geography

Ortiz based his criminal network in the San Marcos province, one of the most important regions in Guatemala given its proximity to the highlands, Mexico and to the Pacific coast, where most of the drugs coming from South America land. His group's control of various points along the coast gave it a strategic advantage over competitors.

Allies and Enemies

Ortiz exerted influence over local politicians and police in the region, and relied on a powerful local support network to conduct his business. He is thought to have worked out a deal that made him the Sinaloa Cartel's top transporter, helping the Mexican group move drugs that arrived via Pacific routes. 

Prospects

Ortiz was arrested in March 2011 in the city of Quetzaltenango, near the Mexican border. In February 2012, a Guatemalan court ruled that Ortiz could be extradited to the United States to face drug trafficking charges. He was extradited in May 2014.

share icon icon icon

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

What are your thoughts? Click here to send InSight Crime your comments.

We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article.

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

Related Content

COCAINE / 8 JUL 2021

A US investigation has shed light on the alleged participation of Guatemalan soldiers in a cocaine smuggling network linked to…

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime's Chemical Precursor Report continues to be a reference in the region

19 MAY 2023

For the second week in a row, our investigation into the flow of precursor chemicals for the manufacture of synthetic drugs in Mexico has been cited by multiple regional media…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime’s Chemical Precursor Report Widely Cited

THE ORGANIZATION / 12 MAY 2023

We are proud to see that our recently published investigation into the supply chain of chemical precursors feeding Mexico’s synthetic drug production has been warmly received.

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime’s Paraguay Election Coverage Draws Attention 

5 MAY 2023

InSight Crime looked at the various anti-organized crime policies proposed by the candidates in Paraguay’s presidential election, which was won on April 30 by Santiago Peña. Our pre-election coverage was cited…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Cited in OAS, CARICOM Reports

28 APR 2023

This week, InSight Crime’s work was cited nine times in a new report by the Organization of American States (OAS) titled “The Impact of Organized Crime on Women,…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Staff Cited as Experts by International Media

21 APR 2023

This week, InSight Crime deputy editor, Juan Diego Posada, was interviewed by the Associated Press about connections between the ex-FARC mafia and Brazilian criminal groups, and…