Despite the capture of the family's patriarch, Waldemar Lorenzana, in April 2011, they still command respect and support mainly in the western states of Izapal and Zacapa, although their domain also stretches to the Pacific coast, including the western city of La Reforma. Waldemar Lorenzana may have more life yet. He was arrested in December 2008 for alleged weapons possession but was soon released for reasons that illustrated their reach into the government justice system. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has tried numerous times without success to capture other leaders of the syndicate. In April 2010, the U.S. Treasury froze the assets of Waldemar and his three sons, citing connections with the Sinaloa cartel. A source told InSight that some in the family may be using Belize as a respite, waiting for the numerous battles between local and international cartels play out.
The Lorenzanas are a traditional contraband family, who, over time, became enmeshed in the lucrative drug trade.
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