Honduras Arrests Alleged Drug Cartel Boss Herlinda Bobadilla; Son Killed During Capture

Honduras' government has arrested the accused drug cartel boss Herlinda Bobadilla on Sunday after an intense confrontation.

Swiss Info reported that Bobadilla's son, Tito Montes Bobadilla, was killed during the capture of the cartel boss.

The announcement was tweeted by National Police Commissioner Gustavo Sanchez Velasquez. Aside from Bobadilla, three other people, who were not publicly identified, were arrested.

The United States has accused Bobadilla of leading the Montes drug-trafficking organization, which allegedly receives cocaine in the Central American country from South America. The illegal narcotics are all ultimately destined for the United States.

The U.S. government has offered a $5 million reward for information leading to Bobadilla's arrest or for the arrest of either of her sons. One of her sons, Juan Carlos Montes Bobadilla, remains on the run, according to a U.S. News report. In 2017, Noe Montes Bobadilla was arrested and extradited to the United States. He was sentenced to 37 years in prison for drug trafficking.

Montes Drug Trafficking Organization

In October 2015, the Department of Justice's press release returned an indictment charging Tito, Bobadilla, Juan Carlos, and Noe, with two others with conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine.

Juan Carlos, Bobadilla, and Tito were alleged to be leaders of one of the largest drug cartels in Honduras.

Noe led the organization before his arrest and extradition to the United States in 2017. Meanwhile, Tito and Juan Carlos allegedly led cells within the organization with their own supply and distribution networks.

Bobadilla was accused of assisting her sons in the importation, transportation, and distribution of cocaine.,

The Montes drug cartel allegedly distributed thousands of kilograms of cocaine headed for the United States. Its base of operations was around Francia, Honduras, in the Department of Colon.

Independent report that Bobadilla has been reportedly on the run from U.S. authorities for seven years after she and her children were indicted in 2015 by a Virginia federal grand jury for illegally importing cocaine into the U.S.

Drug Trafficking in Honduras

Recently, the former president of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernandez, has been tied to what U.S. prosecutors described as "state-sponsored drug trafficking."

Hernandez's younger brother, Juan Antonio "Tony" Hernandez, was found guilty in 2019 of smuggling tons of cocaine into the United States during a criminal career that lasted for decades, according to a BBC News report. Meanwhile, Hernandez earlier called his brother's sentence "outrageous."

Tony was found guilty of receiving $1 million from the notorious drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman for his brother's election campaign.

U.S. prosecutors also alleged the former Honduras president to have accepted bribes in exchange for the protection of his security forces.

Hernandez is the first Latin American president since Panama's Manuel Noriega in the late 1980s to have their names closely tied to drug trafficking in a U.S. court.

The U.S. Department of Justice found a series of drug-related corruption in the Latin American country despite Hernandez' maintaining his stance against the allegations.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Former Honduras President Arrested, Facing Drug Trafficking Charges In U.S. from NBC News