Mexico arrests alleged major leader of Jalisco cartel

Mexican security forces arrested Rafael "N," alias "R2," who is the alleged leader of "Los Rs," a cell of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), according to reports. The Secretariat of the Navy reported that members of the Naval Special Operations Unit (UNOPES) carried out the arrest on Sunday in Zapopan, Jalisco. CBS News and other outlets also identified the detained suspect as Ivan Cazarin Molina, a.k.a. "El Tanque" or "The Tank," noting he was captured on Monday in Zapopan in a post by security minister Omar Garcia Harfuch. Mexico Solidarity Media reported that 19 other people were arrested alongside "R2" during an operation that involved an armed clash leaving both "R2" and a Navy member wounded. The Secretariat stated that they are receiving medical attention and that the situation is under control. The Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC) and the Mexican Army participated in the operation, aided by intelligence work from the National Intelligence Center (CNI) and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Omar García Harfuch stated that the alleged criminal is wanted for extradition by the United States and has an arrest warrant for homicide in Michoacán. Authorities linked the suspect to the murder of Uruapan mayor Carlos Manzo, as well as homicides, drug trafficking, attacks on authorities, and extortion, primarily targeting avocado growers. CBS News reported that the U.S. Treasury sanctioned Molina in September 2024, describing him as part of the inner circle of "El Mencho," the late Jalisco cartel leader. The Treasury stated that Molina runs a massive fuel theft network, known locally as huachicol, which generates tens of millions of dollars per year through ostensibly legitimate retail gas stations and sales to the U.S. market in Texas. Molina is also accused by U.S. authorities of involvement in a 2015 attack on a Mexican Army helicopter in Jalisco that killed members of the Army and Federal Police. García Harfuch noted that the information remains preliminary and will be updated as investigations progress.