Cachiros

Cachiros or Los Cachiros is the name of a Honduran criminal organization dedicated to drug trafficking. It was founded in the early 1990s by a group of cattle farmers in the departments of Colón and Olancho de Honduras.[1]

One of the leaders of the Cachiros, Javier Maradiaga, also known as "Javier Cachiro", surrendered to the US government in January 2015. During the trial, Maradiaga pleaded guilty to the charge of drug trafficking.[2]

After Maradiaga's statement, Honduran authorities seized goods valued between 500 and 800 million dollars. The net worth of the Cachiros is valued at more than one billion dollars.[1]

In March 2017, Devis Leonel Rivera Maradiaga testified at the trial of Fabio Porfirio Lobo in the United States District Court, Southern District of New York. Rivera Maradiaga declared that during the period from 2009 to 2013, the Honduran government assisted him in his drug trafficking operations by providing police intelligence, radar information, and assignment of military personnel to provide security.[3]

Rivera Maradiaga also said his organization paid bribes to prominent members of the Honduran government including former president Porfirio Lobo Sosa. The bribes were made in order to receive support to their operations and be granted contracts to companies owned by the Cachiros.[4][3][5][6]

Devis Leonel Rivera Maradiaga not only testified but also provided evidence in the form of voice recordings, videos, photographs, etc.[3]

In January 2015, Javier Rivera Maradiaga turned himself into US custody fearing being executed in his native country, sources confirmed his negotiations to save his life in exchange of testimony that consequently brought down other members of the Cachiros organization including high-ranking members of the National party, Honduran National police and Honduran Arm Force, the testimony went all the way to the current Honduran President, no charges have been filed but it is speculated that once out of office, the investigation will turn to him.

In Honduras, it's public knowledge that the cachiros gang is headed by the brothers Javier and Leonel Maradiaga whom controlled 90% of the clandestine airstrips in Honduras in Guatemala, with their arrest, the cartel continues to struggle with holding into Honduran drug smuggling power, there is no official boss, but it's been said that Rivera Maradiaga continues to be the boss, even with all the struggles the Cachiros gang continue to thrive, there are many potential leaders working in the shadows of the gang, and as they spread all over the Honduran territory and Central America.

In the oriental part of the Honduran territory, there is one Cachiros’ partner that has a lot of influence in what goes within the gang, there has been than he may be the next in line to take over the boss title, a prominent business man from Danli, el Paraíso who's cartel ties go back all the way to Ramon Matta Ballesteros and the Cali Cartel, the Nicaraguan Contra's and the CIA, “little is known in the public eyes, but around town everyone knows who he is”, a local reporter with Radio American, said.

His health continues to deteriorate and at his age, he may not have much time left, within this family there is a power struggle between the younger siblings, when asked who would take control of the Rodriguez Sevilla family in El Paraíso, many locals point to the oldest of the siblings, a 39-year-old man living under a different surname, the only problem is that for the last 22 years he has been living in exile in the US, away from family business and with no ties to the Cachiros gang, many whom saw him grow up remember him, green eyes, blond hair small complex and thirst for power, he often surrounded himself by a small group of 4-6 other kids his age, he is someone everyone in town immediately recognized when asked around town but would not mention his name in fear of repercussions, when we asked Pedro Lopez a local teacher at Escuela Guía Técnica Número 10, his old school, if he knew his name, and could tell us anything about him and why the local population refused to say his name in public, he added “there is a reason he is leaving in la USA” (a local term to refer to the US) they are protecting him, but we all know he will come back and when he does, no one wants to be on his bad side, he is up for a challenging return if he does choose to do so, but he will be back and that kid had some evil in him, everyone that knows him well, knows it. He was a sweet kid and seldom help others but if you got on his bad side, let's just say, there is a field full of people his family killed simply because they made fun of his name, “his name is a color in English” and that's all I can tell you, Lopez added, “he would get upset when someone would make fun of his name” he was very self conscious about it, many paid with their lives. “The whole family it’s like that”, he added.