Guatemalan police on Tuesday arrested a 71-year-old suspected drug trafficker that the United States has sought for alleged ties to Mexico's powerful Sinaloa cartel.

Waldemar Lorenzana was apprehended while driving in the town of El Jicaro, 40 miles northeast of Guatemala City, local prosecutors said. Authorities accuse the Guatemalan of running a large cocaine smuggling operation for the Sinaloa Cartel, pushing drug shipments from Colombia to the United States.

The U.S. government has issued a $500,000 reward for information leading to Lorenzana's arrest and the U.S. Treasury Department has placed Lorenzana and his two sons, Eliu and Haroldo, on a list of Central American drug kingpins.

Lorenzana will be held by local law enforcement but he could face extradition to the United States on international drug trafficking charges. His sons are still at large and the U.S. Treasury Department has offered $200,000 each for information leading to their arrests.

Prosecutors said the FBI and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration assisted in Lorenzana's arrest.