The US government had offered a $5 million reward for information leading to the capture of Herlinda Bobadilla, known as La Chinda.
It looks like a domino effect: After the first is overthrown, most of the possible actors in the drug trafficking conspiracy in Honduras begin to fall, one after another.
The first was Juan Antonio Hernández, who was convicted in 2020 of drug and weapons trafficking.
Tony, under his pseudonym, was the brother of Juan Orlando Hernández, the then president of the Central American country – he was accused of the same crimes and extradited to the United States.
This Sunday (15/5), images of the Herlinda Bobadilla prison known as La Chinda were released. The US government had offered a reward of US$ 5 million (R$ 25 million) for information leading to his capture.
He is considered the leader of the Montes Bobadilla clan, who is accused of controlling the Honduran Caribbean region. The group is said to be able to ship thousands of kilos of cocaine to the United States, thanks to its ties to drug cartels in Colombia and Mexico.
One of their sons, Tito Montes, died during the operation. Another, Juan Carlos, might have managed to escape and continued as the authorities wanted.
Herlinda, 61, was transported in a police helicopter from the Colon region, where she was caught handcuffed, to the capital, Tegucigalpa. His appearance raised several questions about his identity.
“The reality is that women are more common in drug trafficking organizations than they seem, they are not very visible because of the machismo practiced in the drug world,” said Deborah Bonello, the Latin editor. America, Vice World News to BBC Mundo (BBC Spanish service).
“Many expect to see a female evolution of the world. [traficante mexicano] When ‘El Chapo’ talks about women in the drug trade, they actually fulfill other positions with great power and responsibility, but with little visibility.”
Who is “La Chinda” and how did it manage to become the leader of one of Central America’s largest drug cartels?
Colombian roots
The Montes Bobadilla clan has its origins in Colombia and has links to the famous but now defunct Cali Cartel.
Honduran Pedro García Montes, responsible for payments and other affairs, worked for the cartel. While conducting this study, he started to create drug loading, unloading and transportation zones in the Caribbean region of his country.
Over time, the business grew. In 2004, García Montes was killed in Cartagena and control of these operations in Honduras was taken over by one of his relatives, Alex Adán Montes Bobadilla.
Therefore, Alex Adán decided to bring in a trusted relative to help him strengthen his position within the clan: Herlinda Bobadilla.
La Chinda was born in October 1961 in the city of Macuelizo, about 290 kilometers from Tegucigalpa, but lived with her family in the Colon region in the north of the country, where the clan’s operations are concentrated.
According to Honduran authorities, Herlinda married Alejandro Montes Alvarenga, and the two had six children. The three of them – Alejandro (known as Tito), José Carlos and Noé – are fully involved in working for the criminal organization.
He would actively cooperate in various inner clan operations in the Colón region.
Honduran officials note that Herlinda Bobadilla owns dozens of houses in the municipality of Limón, the clan’s domain.
journalism portal Insight Crime He states that this Honduran region is strategic for transporting drugs from South American cartels, particularly Colombia. It travels from Honduras to Guatemala and is picked up by Mexican cartels who eventually place the product on the North American market.
In 2014, there was a change of command following the death of Alex Adán in prison. Herlinda’s third son, Noé Montes Bobadilla, took over as chief but was captured in 2017 and extradited to the United States two years later.
According to US authorities, this is the moment he assumed leadership of the clan, along with his sons Tito and José Carlos. Herlinda is increasing its shipping operations and developing coca leaves to produce its own shipments, according to Honduran government documents.
“Leadership roles in the Montes Bobadilla drug trafficking organization have increased significantly since the 2017 arrest and extradition of Herlinda’s third child, Noé Montes Bobadilla, to the United States,” the State Department said in May this year. Said. A reward of $5 million was offered for each of the three clan leaders.
expansion and follow-up
Although Herlinda Bobadilla (aka Erlinda Montes Bobadilla) was promoted to leader after Noah’s capture and subsequent extradition, the U.S. government has long been behind him.
In 2015, a US court in the State of Virginia charged him and his children with carrying cocaine and other drug-related crimes.
Direct follow-up of the clan begins here. In 2017 Noé was caught, but a process of foreclosure began on Herlinda Bobadilla’s properties in Honduras.
About 40 properties, mostly in the province of Colon, were later confiscated by the Honduran government.
However, the final step was taken on May 2, with an offer of US$5 million for each family member, including Herlinda.
The siege ended this weekend when Honduran special forces arrived in a major operation at Herlinda’s location with her two sons, Tito and José Carlos.
According to the authorities’ report, Tito was killed in clashes with special forces, while José Carlos managed to escape.
Authorities then began apprehending his mother, who was handcuffed to the capital Tegucigalpa, who would face charges ranging from drug trafficking to corruption and money laundering.
But most importantly, he will be awaiting extradition to the United States, the home country of his son Noah, who is serving a 39-year sentence.
Honduras has extradited at least 31 of its citizens since 2014, including members of the Montes Bobadilla clan, former National Police chief Juan Carlos Bonilla, who was sent to the United States last week on charges of taking bribes to allow drug transport. country.
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source: Noticias
