Alleged Jalisco cartel leader arrested in Mexico on drug trafficking and fuel smuggling charges

<p>Authorities in Mexico arrested a member of the Jalisco drug cartel known as "The Tank" on Tuesday. Mexican Security Secretary Omar Garcia Harfuch announced the arrest in a post on X, identifying the alleged cartel member as Iván Cazarín Molina.</p><p>Molina was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2024 for his alleged role in fuel theft for the Jalisco New Generation cartel. Mexican authorities arrested him in Zapopan and coordinated with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.</p><p>Harfuch stated, "Investigations link him to homicides, extortion, illegal deprivation of liberty, hydrocarbon theft, money laundering, and drug trafficking. He is also accused of his alleged involvement in the attack on a Mexican Army helicopter in Jalisco in 2015, in which members of the Army and the Federal Police lost their lives." Authorities seized a vehicle, a firearm, and various drugs during the arrest.</p><p>In September 2024, the United States Department of the Treasury sanctioned him for his ties to the CJNG and identified him as part of the inner circle of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias 'El Mencho,' which led to an exchange of information with the DEA. Harfuch added that Molina will be placed at the disposal of the Specialized Prosecutor's Office for Organized Crime Matters (FEMDO), where his legal situation will be determined in accordance with the law.</p><p>The arrest occurred roughly a week after the U.S. imposed a set of sanctions aimed at disrupting a Sinaloa cartel network accused of corrupting Mexican officials just across the U.S. border.</p><p>The Treasury Department will sanction 21 individuals and 25 entities in a crackdown against Los Mayos, a powerful faction of the Sinaloa cartel, and their alleged illegal activity within U.S. borders. The targets of the sanctions include Ismael Zambada Sicairos, known as "Mayito Flaco," a dual U.S.-Mexican citizen born in Anaheim, California, whom Treasury described as the "undisputed head" of Los Mayos.</p>