Marco Antonio Lopez-Guerrero, who is alleged to be a methamphetamine trafficker associated with the Sinaloa Cartel and based in Mexicali, was extradited from Mexico to the United States on October 24, 2025. He faces several federal charges in the Southern District of California related to drug trafficking and firearms offenses.
A federal grand jury indicted Lopez-Guerrero in July 2020. The charges include conspiracy to import methamphetamine, conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, attempted export of defense articles without a license, and smuggling goods such as firearms and ammunition from the United States into Mexico.
Court records state that Lopez-Guerrero used young girls to move methamphetamine through pedestrian lanes at Southern California ports of entry and for drug distribution in San Diego, San Bernardino, and other locations. Additionally, he allegedly used an ultra-light aircraft for smuggling methamphetamine and transported weapons into Mexico. Among these weapons was at least one short-barrel AR-15 rifle without a serial number and over 150 rounds of ammunition.
Lopez-Guerrero appeared in federal court for arraignment on October 27 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen S. Crawford and entered a not-guilty plea. Following a detention hearing on October 30, he was ordered detained pending trial. His next scheduled court appearance is set for November 21 before U.S. District Judge Jinsook Ohta.
The investigation that led to his indictment resulted in the seizure of more than 180 kilograms of methamphetamine, 19 kilograms of fentanyl, two kilograms of heroin, as well as firearms and ammunition.
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs played a key role in securing Lopez-Guerrero’s arrest and extradition from Mexico. The U.S. Marshals Service assisted with his transfer to the United States. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lawrence A. Casper and Edward Chang are prosecuting the case.
The investigating agencies involved include the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Imperial County Sheriff’s Department, U.S. Border Patrol – El Centro Sector, Department of Justice Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, Department of Justice Office of International Affairs, and the San Diego/Imperial County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159: Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF brings together multiple government agencies to combat criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, human smuggling rings, and related crimes within the United States and abroad.
According to authorities: “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… 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 San Diego team includes agents from FBI, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), DEA, ATF, U.S. Marshals Service, Department of Defense (DOD), U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), IRS Criminal Investigation Division (IRS-CI), U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Interpol—and prosecutions are led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California.
Lopez-Guerrero faces mandatory minimum sentences ranging from ten years up to life imprisonment for drug-related charges if convicted; additional counts carry penalties up to twenty years’ imprisonment or fines up to $1 million for arms export violations; smuggling charges carry up to ten years’ imprisonment or fines up to $250,000.
Authorities emphasize that all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
