US sentences alleged 'Los Pochos' lieutenant linked to Ayutla mayor to 17.5 years

Erick Manuel Ochoa Villagrán, identified as a key lieutenant in the Los Pochos drug trafficking organization, has been sentenced to 210 months in federal prison in the United States. The sentence, handed down on December 9, 2025, by the District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, is for conspiracy to manufacture and distribute cocaine.

U.S. authorities link Ochoa to Juan José Morales Cifuentes, the alleged head of Los Pochos and husband of Isel Anelí Súñiga Morfín, the current mayor of Ayutla, San Marcos. The investigation uncovered a drug trafficking network that operated across South America, Central America, and North America from at least 2008, responsible for importing significant amounts of cocaine into the United States.

Ochoa Villagrán pleaded guilty to the charges in May 2025. He was previously sanctioned by the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on February 28, 2024, along with other members of Los Pochos. OFAC described Ochoa Villagrán as a "narcotrafficker based in Guatemala who works for Morales Cifuentes and Los Pochos," and noted he "provides storage for cocaine shipments."

The Los Pochos structure originated under Erik Salvador Súñiga Rodríguez, alias "El Pocho," a former mayor of Ayutla, San Marcos, who was accused of controlling drug trafficking activities on the Guatemala-Mexico border. After his extradition to the U.S. in 2019, Súñiga Rodríguez died in prison in April 2020. Morales Cifuentes then emerged as his successor, identified by OFAC as "the head of Los Pochos since 2019," a cocaine distributor and transport coordinator based in Guatemala with ties to the Sinaloa cartel. Morales Cifuentes reportedly leverages his political connections through his wife, Mayor Súñiga Morfín, to protect the organization's interests.