Summary The United States has requested his extradition on drug trafficking charges.
GUATEMALA CITY (AFP) - Guatemalan security forces have arrested a man alleged to be a top drug trafficker in an operation in which three people were killed, police said.
Jairo Orellana, 36, was arrested Thursday night in the town of Gualan, 175 kilometers (110 miles) east of the capital.
The United States has requested his extradition on drug trafficking charges.
Orellana, who was being held at a military base, was alleged to be linked to Mexico s Zetas, a feared drug cartel formed by Mexican military deserters.
Police said two of Orellana s bodyguards and a policeman were killed in the operation that led to his capture.
Mexican drug gangs like the Zetas and the Sinaloa cartel have established a strong presence in Guatemala in recent years, driving up violent crime.
Authorities estimate that half the nearly 6,000 murders a year in Guatemala are attributable to drug trafficking or fights among local gangs.
