Honduran national extradited from Guatemala to the Eastern District of Texas to face international drug trafficking charges

PLANO, Texas - A Honduran national has been extradited to the United States to face drug trafficking charges in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.

Baldemar Roque Negrete, also known as Chele Peña, 52, a Honduran national, was extradited from Guatemala to the United States on March 20, 2026, to face international drug trafficking charges in the Eastern District of Texas.

Roque Negrete was charged by indictment on August 14, 2019, with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine knowing it would be imported to the United States for distribution.

Roque Negrete is set for an initial appearance in federal court in the Eastern District of Texas on March 24, 2026.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.

If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison.

This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Dallas Field Division, FBI, and DEA Guatemala City Country Office. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Rattan.

The Justice Department extends its gratitude to the Government of Guatemala for making the extradition possible. The Justice Department's Office of International Affairs, the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala provided significant assistance in securing the defendant's arrest and extradition from Guatemala.

A federal indictment is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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