The Chinese citizen Wenshen Xucaptured in Guatemala in 2025 and extradited to the United States, admitted that he used the country as a coordination point for a drug trafficking operation linked to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), in addition to directing from Honduras a logistics network that transported cocaine from Colombia and laundering at least US$22 million from drug trafficking.
The guilty plea filed in a US federal court reveals that Guatemala was not only the country where Xu was captured. It was also the scene of a key meeting held on July 17, 2025, during which he agreed to coordinate the transportation of cocaine shipments for people claiming to represent the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, an organization that The United States designated him as a terrorist.
That same day, after that meeting in Guatemala City, agents from the Public Ministry and the National Civil Police executed the arrest warrant for extradition purposes requested by the United States. At that time, Guatemalan authorities reported that Xu was wanted for crimes related to money laundering, but the US investigation ended up also linking him to conspiracy to import cocaine and provide material support to the Mexican cartel.
Xu, 52, pleaded guilty on June 30 in the Eastern District Court of Virginia to conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States, conspiracy to launder drug money and providing material support to CJNG.
Honduras, the center of operations
According to the statement of facts he signed as part of his plea agreement, Xu ran from Honduras a logistics network used to transport shipments of cocaine from Colombia to the United States and Europe.
US authorities describe him as a prolific cocaine trafficker established in Honduras, where he managed employees and an infrastructure made up of landing strips, airports, armored vehicles, couriers and collaborators distributed in different Latin American countries.
Its function was to guarantee the transfer of cocaine shipments from Colombia to organizations with the capacity to introduce the drug into the United States, in addition to coordinating financial operations derived from drug trafficking.
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The cocaine route
According to the investigation, the conspiracy to transfer narcotics began in November 2023.
On March 24, 2024, Xu held a meeting in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to coordinate drug trafficking and money laundering operations.
Subsequently, on June 12, 2024, he traveled to Bogotá, Colombia, where he met with people linked to cocaine trafficking and observed a 50-kilogram shipment that, according to the file, would be sent to the United States.
The guilty plea also states that on July 17, 2025, he agreed to help coordinate the transfer of aircraft loaded with cocaine from Cali, Colombia, for people claiming to represent the CJNG.
As part of that agreement, it offered to facilitate the use of landing strips, airports and other logistical resources to guarantee the transportation of shipments.
Laundering of more than US$22 million
In addition to drug trafficking, Xu admitted to being an international organization dedicated to laundering money from the sale of cocaine and fentanyl.
The structure collected large amounts of cash obtained in the United States and transferred them through cryptocurrencies, bank accounts and couriers to criminal organizations in Colombia, Mexico and other countries.
To hide the origin of the money, they used encrypted communication platforms such as WeChat and WhatsApp, multiple cryptocurrency wallets, international bank accounts and authentication codes obtained from banknote serial numbers.
Xu and his collaborators charged a commission for each operation, according to documents from the United States Department of Justice.
As part of the plea deal, he agreed that the organization laundered at least $22 million.
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More than 450 kilograms of cocaine
In a statement released after the guilty plea, the United States Department of Justice reported that Xu and his accomplices brought more than 450 kilograms of cocaine into the United States and coordinated the laundering of more than US$22 million from the sale of cocaine and fentanyl.
Hearing for sentencing
Xu’s sentencing hearing was scheduled for October 15, 2026. Under U.S. law, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison.