Honduras Cocaine Queen Herlinda Bobadilla Makes First Appearance in US Court After Being Extradited to the Country

The cocaine queen of Honduras, Herlinda Bobadilla, who faces charges for drug trafficking, appeared in U.S. federal court on Wednesday.

According to The Washington Post, Bobadilla stood silently during her initial appearance before Magistrate Judge Ivan Davis in Alexandria federal court in Virginia. Her bond hearing is set for Friday. Bobadilla's attorney, Manuel Leiva, reportedly declined to provide details.

Federal prosecutors claimed that the 61-year-old matriarch of the family-run Montes-Bobadilla drug cartel smuggled large quantities of cocaine into the United States from 2006 to 2015.

The Montes-Bobadilla cartel is based on Honduras' northeastern coast on the Caribbean Sea. American officials said this location has allowed the group to receive air and maritime drug shipments from Colombia and other Southern American countries before smuggling them into the U.S.

In 2012, almost 75 percent of cocaine-smuggling flights from South America first landed in Honduras, according to prosecutors. Court filings noted that the Montes-Bobadilla cartel had used airplanes, boats, and land motor vehicles to ship cocaine, including semi-submersible vessels.

Officials said the cartel trafficked multiple tons of cocaine destined for the U.S., adding that the group profited millions of dollars.

According to prosecutors, the cartel was known to have operated throughout Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico. The group has reportedly kept authorities at bay through bribes, threats, and violence.

In 2008, the organized crime group received a planeload of more than 3,300 pounds of cocaine on an island in Honduras. The drug cartel also received 2,200 pounds of cocaine from Venezuela carried by a U.S.-registered airplane in 2013.

Honduras' Cocaine Queen Herlinda Bobadilla's Arrest and Extradition

Herlinda Bobadilla, also known as "La Chinda," was extradited to the U.S. on Tuesday. According to Vice, the cocaine queen's extradition comes a little over two months after her arrest.

Bobadilla was captured with three other people in the mountains of the northeastern province of Colon in Honduras on May 15. One of her sons, Tito Montes, was reportedly killed after he opened fire on police during the operation.

Authorities reportedly received several tips after the U.S. government placed a $5 million bounty on each of the heads of Bobadilla and Tito, along with her third son, Juan Carlos Montes, who is still on the run.

Bobadilla's fourth son, Noe, was extradited to the U.S. in 2019 and is currently serving a 37-year-sentence for his role in the drug cartel.

Bobadilla's extradition was the latest from the government of President Xiomara Castro, who took the oath of office in January. The new president of Honduras has promised to eradicate narco-corruption in the country.

Who is Cocaine Queen Herlinda Bobadilla of Honduras?

According to the indictment and court documents, Herlinda Bobadilla and her two sons, Juan Carlos and Tito, were the leaders of the drug cartel.

The Montes-Bobadilla cartel or "Los Montes" cartel is a family-based criminal group operating in Honduras, engaging in violence and public corruption to further the drug trafficking operations in the country, the State Department noted.

According to Vice, Honduras is a key transit country for cocaine headed for Mexico and the U.S.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Honduras Extraditó Hacia EE. UU. A Lideresa Del Clan Montes Bobadilla - From El Tiempo