Posted on: March 01, 2025 01:20 PM

Share : Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp

Mexican drug trafficker extradited for cocaine importation and weapons charges

Matthew Podolsky, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Derek S. Maltz, the Acting Administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), announced that ITIEL PALACIOS GARCIA, a/k/a “El Playa,” a/k/a “El Compa Playa,” was extradited yesterday from Mexico to the United States.  PALACIOS GARCIA is charged with conspiracy to import cocaine into the U.S., possession of machineguns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machineguns and destructive devices. PALACIOS GARCIA was presented today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Henry J. Ricardo and detained without bail.

Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky said: “As alleged, for years, Itiel Palacios Garcia led a violent drug trafficking organization in Mexico that directed vast quantities of cocaine into communities in the United States. Palacios Garcia and his organization allegedly used assault rifles, grenades, and other heavy weapons to protect his drug trafficking territory and to battle drug rivals. This Office and our law enforcement partners stand committed to cutting off the flow of dangerous drugs into our country and bringing international drug traffickers to justice.”

According to the allegations contained in the Complaint, Indictment, and other court filings:[1]

PALACIOS GARCIA was the leader of a drug trafficking organization based in Guerrero, Mexico.  Between at least 2012 and 2020, PALACIOS GARCIA trafficked ton quantities of cocaine, including from Guatemala, that he then transported through his territory and into the U.S.  PALACIOS GARCIA and his co-conspirators used weapons like firearms, assault rifles, and grenades to protect their drug trafficking activities and to fight violent drug wars with rival groups, such as the Los Zetas drug cartel.

For example, in or about 2016, PALACIOS GARCIA and his associates purchased an aircraft, which they used to successfully transport approximately 800 kilograms of cocaine from Colombia to Venezuela, and then from Venezuela to Guatemala, where the cocaine was unloaded and transported by land to Mexico and finally the U.S.  As another example, in or about 2020, PALACIOS GARCIA and his associates organized another plane load of cocaine, which crashed in the El Petén region of Guatemala in or about April 2020. Both pilots died upon impact, and Guatemalan law enforcement authorities recovered approximately 800 kilograms of cocaine from the wreckage.

PALACIOS GARCIA, 42, of Mexico, is charged with: conspiring to import cocaine into the U.S. and to traffic it on board an aircraft registered in the U.S., which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison (Count One); possessing machineguns and destructive devices in connection with the importation conspiracy charged in Count One, which carries a mandatory minimum consecutive sentence of 30 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison (Count Two); and conspiring to use, carry, and possess machineguns and destructive devices in connection with the importation conspiracy charged in Count One, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison (Count Three).

The mandatory minimum and maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.

Mr. Podolsky praised the outstanding investigative work of the DEA’s Special Operations Division, Bilateral Investigations Unit and multiple DEA offices throughout Mexico, as well as the assistance of the Office of International Affairs of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and the U.S. Marshals Service.

This prosecution is being handled by the Office’s National Security and International Narcotics Unit.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas S. Bradley, Jane Y. Chong, Sarah L. Kushner, Alexander Li, Daniel G. Nessim, David J. Robles, and Kyle A. Wirshba are in charge of the prosecution.

From DOJ