'El Chapo's' Honduras henchman 'The Wizard's' 6 companies, tourist restaurant seized

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, April 13 (UPI) -- Franco "The Wizard" Daniel Lombardi, the financial operator of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's Sinaloa Cartel in Honduras, owned multiple buildings and businesses that were recently seized, Honduran authorities said after the man's arrest.

An international task force made up of Mexican and Honduran authorities as well as the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration recently seized Daniel Lombardi's assets. Most businesses were confiscated in the popular tourist island of Roatán, El Universal reported.

Daniel Lombardi, 45, was arrested on April 1 and later extradited to the United States over charges of trafficking cocaine and heroin, as well as money laundering. In simultaneous raids, nine buildings, three commercial companies, several vehicles and the El Boske tourism resort were seized. Three other companies were seized in San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa, the Honduran capital.

Guzman traveled to Honduras often during his years on the run between 2001 and 2014, when he was recaptured after his first prison escape. He was captured in the city of Los Mochis in his home state of Sinaloa on Jan. 8 after his second escape, this time from Mexico's Altiplano Federal Prison on July 11.

The DEA has said Guzman's Sinaloa Cartel dominates the illegal drug market in nearly the entire United States. A report by the agency states the criminal organization is most powerful "along the West Coast, through the Midwest and into the Northeast."