1 of 3 | Herlinda Bobadilla, 61, is accused of being a leader of the Montes cartel, one of the largest drug trafficking organizations in Honduras. Photo courtesy of U.S. Embassy in Honduras/
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May 2 (UPI) -- The United States announced a multimillion reward for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Herlinda Bobadilla and her two sons on accusations of being leaders of one of Hondura's largest drug cartels.
Herlinda, 61, and her sons Tito Montes Bobadilla, 32, and Juan Carlos Montes Bobadilla, 35, have been accused by the United States of maintaining leadership roles in the family-run Montes cartel that imports, supplies, transports and distributes narcotics and launders their illicit proceeds through Central America, Mexico and the United States.
Ned Price, U.S. Department of State spokesman, on Monday announced the $5 million reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of each of the three Honduran nationals.
"Today's action supports U.S. government efforts to fight the destabilizing effects of transnational crime in Central America," he said in a statement.
Price said the roles of the three family members in the drug organization have risen since the 2017 arrest of Herlinda's third son, Noe Montes Bobadilla, 38, who was extradited to the United States in 2019 and is serving a 37-year jail sentence for conspiracy to distribute more than 5 kilos of cocaine intended for unlawful importation into the United States.
Herlinda, Tito, Juan Carlos and two other unnamed defendants were charged in the same 2015 federal grand jury indictment leveled against Noe.
Federal prosecutors said Noe, Tito and Juan Carlos are accused of running cells within the cartel that had their own supply and distribution networks while their mother is accused of assisting them with the importation, transportation and distribution of cocaine.
"Through these efforts, the Montes [drug trafficking organization] allegedly distributed thousands of kilograms of cocaine destined for the United States," the Justice Department said in a statement Monday.
The cartel is based in Colon on the northeastern coast of the Caribbean, which prosecutors said in the indictment is strategically critical for narcotics trafficking due to its remoteness, limited infrastructure, lack of government presence and weak law enforcement institutions.
The Montes cartel uses planes, boats and cars and trucks to transport cocaine from this coastal region up north with a final destination the United States.
The award was announced weeks after former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez was extradited to the United States to face drug trafficking charges amid the Biden administration's crack down on corruption in Central America.
Late last week, Andrew Fahie, premier of the British Virgin Islands, was arrested in Miami on charges of conspiracy to import a controlled substance into the United States and money laundering.
