Alleged Sinaloa Cartel Methamphetamine Trafficker Extradited from Mexico
SAN DIEGO – Marco Antonio Lopez-Guerrero, an alleged Mexicali-based methamphetamine trafficker linked to the Sinaloa Cartel, was extradited from Mexico on October 24th to face drug and firearms charges.
Lopez-Guerrero was indicted by a federal grand jury in the Southern District of California in July 2020. He is charged with Conspiracy to Import Methamphetamine; Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine; Attempted Export of Defense Articles Without a License; and Smuggling Goods (i.e., firearms and ammunition) from the United States to Mexico.
According to court records, Lopez-Guerrero used young girls to smuggle methamphetamine through pedestrian lanes of Southern California ports of entry and to distribute the drugs in San Diego, San Bernardino and elsewhere. Lopez-Guerrero also used an ultra-light aircraft to smuggle methamphetamine; and he smuggled weapons to Mexico, including at least one short-barrel AR-15 rifle without a serial number and more than 150 rounds of ammunition, court records indicate.
At his first appearance in federal court on October 27th, Lopez-Guerrero was arraigned and entered a not-guilty plea before U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen S. Crawford. Following a detention hearing on October 30, 2025, Lopez-Guerrero was ordered detained pending trial. His next court appearance is scheduled for November 21, 2025, for a motion hearing/trial setting before U.S. District Judge Jinsook Ohta.
The prosecution in this case is part of a multi-year investigation that resulted in the seizure of more than 180 kilograms of methamphetamine; 19 kilograms of fentanyl; 2 kilograms of heroin; along with firearms and ammunition.
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in securing the defendant’s arrest and extradition from Mexico. The U.S. Marshals Service assisted in bringing the defendant to the United States. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lawrence A. Casper and Edward Chang.
INVESTIGATING AGENCIES
United States Attorney's Office; Homeland Security Investigations; 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; San Diego/Imperial County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program
