Alleged Jalisco cartel leader accused of drug trafficking and fuel smuggling arrested in Mexico

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Authorities inMexicosay they arrested a notorious 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.

Molina was the subject of sanctions 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 were in contact with the U.S.Drug Enforcement Agency.

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Omar Garcia Harfuch, secretary of security and citizen protection, during a press conference in Mexico City on Feb.23, 2026, following the death of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias ”El Mencho,” leader of the Jalisco New Generation cartel.(Gerardo Vieyra/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

“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,” Harfuch said in a statement.

Authorities seized a vehicle, a firearm and various drugs during the arrest.

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“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].He 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,” Harfuch added.

Mexican law enforcement stand guard on the heels of the death of Mexican drug trafficker

Investigative police officers guard the facilities of the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime of the Attorney General’s Office in Mexico City, Mexico, on Feb.22, 2026.(Gerardo Vieyra/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The arrest comes roughly a week after the U.S.imposed asweeping set of sanctionsaimed at disrupting a Sinaloa cartel network accused of corrupting Mexican officials just across the U.S.border.

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Los Mayos, a powerful faction of the Sinaloa cartel, and its U.S.-born leader are accused of funneling fentanyl and drug money through California and hiring hitmen to kill rivals on American soil.

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Treasury describes U.S.-born Ismael “Mayito Flaco” Zambada Sicairos as the “undisputed head” of the Sinaloa cartel’s Los Mayos faction following the arrest of his father, longtime kingpin Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada Garcia.(U.S.Department of the Treasury)

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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.

� Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.