‘Diapers’ Was the Code Word: Mexican Man Wanted in New York and Chicago, Named in a 2014 Mexico-to-Chicago Drug-Ring Case, Arrested in Guatemala City
Guatemalan police on Oct. 5, 2026, arrested Jorge Rubén Michel Monroy, 57, a Mexican national wanted for extradition to the United States on drug-trafficking charges in New York and Chicago, Infobae and Prensa Libre reported that day. U.S. wiretaps cited in the reports say his network used the code word “pañales” (diapers) when talking about how drug loads were wrapped. A 2014 U.S. charging announcement listed a “Jorge Michel-Monroy, 45, of Philadelphia” among the defendants in a Mexico-to-Chicago drug-ring case.
Arrested in Guatemala City’s Zone 10
Officers from the National Civil Police (PNC) anti-narcotics analysis unit, SGAIA, stopped Michel Monroy at 12 Calle and 3a Avenida in Zone 10 of Guatemala City, Infobae reported. Police seized three cell phones, a portable charger and a SIM card. According to Infobae, he used at least five false names, including “Jorge García,” “Rubén Monroy,” “Oscar Marteil” and “Roberto Hernández.”
Guatemala’s Public Ministry said the extradition request came from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Infobae reported that U.S. investigators say he coordinated shipments of hundreds of kilograms of fentanyl and methamphetamine to New York between February and April 2026. The Narco Blog could not find a public U.S. court filing describing those shipments. Infobae said the arrest brings Guatemala’s 2026 tally of people arrested for extradition to 38, of whom 24 are wanted on drug charges.
The Chicago case and the “diapers” code
He also faces an arrest warrant from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Infobae reported. In a Sept. 30, 2014, announcement, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Michel-Monroy was charged with Víctor Mata Madrigal of Lombard, Illinois, and others in a conspiracy running from April 2012 to May 2014. ICE said Mata Madrigal allegedly imported wholesale amounts of cocaine and marijuana from Mexico into Chicago, and that on April 16, 2013, agents seized $3,927,359 in alleged drug proceeds from a house in Park Ridge, Illinois.
According to Infobae, Illinois court documents show Michel Monroy and Jorge Sánchez, a co-defendant listed in Philadelphia, checking the quality of the packaging on the loads, which they called “pañales.” Infobae reported that Mata Madrigal kept running the network from custody after his 2013 arrest. Neither outlet named a cartel, and none of the charges has been proven in court. Michel Monroy is presumed innocent. The reports did not say whether he has a lawyer.
Sources
- Infobae, “Capturan en Guatemala a presunto narco mexicano que enviaba fentanilo a Estados Unidos usando el código de ‘pañales’,” Jessica Gramajo, Oct. 5, 2026: infobae.com
- Prensa Libre, “‘Pañales’: el código del presunto narco capturado en Guatemala para enviar fentanilo y metanfetamina a EE. UU.,” Oct. 5, 2026: prensalibre.com
- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, “22 defendants charged for their alleged roles in connected drug rings extending from Mexico to Chicago and across US,” Sept. 30, 2014: ice.gov
- Photos: Guatemala’s Public Ministry and Policía Nacional Civil, via Infobae
Reported Oct. 5, 2026, from the outlets and the U.S. government release above. The New York indictment and the Illinois court records were not reviewed directly, and no extradition date had been announced.