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On September 4, 2024, the Northern District Court of California sentenced Victor Viera Chirinos, alias “Mojarra” , to 82 months in prison, 6 years and 8 months for drug trafficking.
Meanwhile, Mayer Benegas Medina was sentenced to 34 months in prison, 2 years and eight months on September 24, 2024.
Both appeared before Judge Charles R. Breyer , who has heard the case since 2019.
This Honduran, extradited in May of the same year , was one of the main operators of a heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine distribution network in the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco .
Victor Viera Chirinos, 42, had fled the United States a week before he was sentenced in June 2021, when he escaped to Honduras.
Authorities captured him in Guayape, Olancho, on March 6, 2024, and handed him back over to U.S. justice.
In this regard, it is worth mentioning that Honduras denounced the extradition treaty with the United States last August.
A cunning dealer
Victor Viera Chirinos was among 14 defendants charged with leading a drug trafficking operation that controlled the flow of illicit substances in the Tenderloin, an area known for its high crime rate.
Court documents reveal that since 2019, the Honduran man collected money from street dealers and provided them with drugs to keep the distribution network active.
Mayer Benegas Medina
Benegas Medina, 30, had been involved in the distribution of fentanyl in the same Tenderloin district.
After being charged in 2020, Benegas fled to Honduras in March 2021 but was captured and extradited in February 2024. He pleaded guilty to the charges against him, earning him a lighter sentence.
The fight against drug trafficking has no borders
U.S. authorities welcomed the convictions as part of a broader strategy to crack down on drug trafficking in San Francisco.
“The government’s reach is broad and we are committed to allocating the necessary resources to eradicate this scourge,” said Ismail Ramsey, the prosecutor .
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) was clear in its position: “This extradition makes it clear that we will use every tool at our disposal to hold accountable those who sell poison in our communities,” emphasized Special Agent Brian M. Clark .
The sentences of Viera Chirinos and Benegas Medina are a clear message: neither distance nor borders will stop the arm of justice when it comes to drug trafficking.
