Wife of Alejandro Flores Cacho—Leader of Sinaloa Cartel’s Narcopilot Ring—Arrested in Canada

Diana Toro Díaz was arrested in Montreal after years of living under a false identity.

Diana Toro Díaz, identified by U.S. authorities as a financial operative for the Sinaloa Cartel, was arrested in Montreal, Canada, after living for years under a false identity.

The wife of Alejandro Flores Cacho—identified as the primary coordinator of the criminal group’s narco pilots—was taken into custody in Canada, pending extradition proceedings to the United States.

What is known about her arrest?

According to information published in local media outlets such as *The Suburban* and *TVA Nouvelles*, the 44-year-old woman was detained last week at Montréal-Trudeau International Airport when she attempted to enter Canada using forged documents.

Canadian authorities reported that Toro Díaz remains detained at the Laval Immigration Holding Centre, awaiting a decision from the Immigration and Refugee Board regarding her possible extradition to the United States. No dates have been confirmed for any hearings, nor has it been confirmed whether she will face charges in Canada. The Canada Border Services Agency is keeping its investigation open regarding the concealment methods and the use of false identities employed by the detainee.

The family had been living in Montreal for several years, where their children attended a high-profile private school and they resided in an affluent neighborhood frequented by Mexican and Latin American families.

The detention was made possible following an alert from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which had placed Toro Díaz on a wanted list for drug trafficking and money laundering offenses.

The Accusations and Background

Diana Toro Díaz has a criminal record in Mexico. She was imprisoned in 2006 following the seizure of 5.5 tons of cocaine at the Ciudad del Carmen airport, although she was released in 2007 due to a lack of evidence.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the U.S. Department of the Treasury designated Toro Díaz and her husband as international drug traffickers in 2010 under the so-called “Kingpin Act”—a measure that allows for the freezing of assets and the restriction of financial transactions.

According to official data, the financial structure led by Flores Cacho and his wife includes air cargo companies, restaurants, a ranch, agricultural businesses, and a sports club—all identified as fronts used to launder cartel money.

Alejandro Flores Cacho: Architect of the Narco-Pilot Network

Alejandro Flores Cacho is considered one of the most significant figures in the air and financial logistics of the Sinaloa Cartel. OFAC documents identify him as the coordinator of a network of pilots tasked with transporting drug shipments and cash from South America to Mexico and the United States, a role he has fulfilled since the 2000s.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury describes him as a “pilot who controls a multinational drug transportation network,” operating during the era of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán and Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada.

He was added to OFAC’s blacklist in 2010 alongside family members and associates—including his wife and his brother, Javier Flores Cacho—all of whom were identified as operators of front companies.

Among the entities identified—in addition to those described above—were an aviation school in Cuernavaca, an aircraft hangar and maintenance company in Toluca, and an air cargo firm in Mexico City.

In 2008, a federal court in Houston formally indicted Flores Cacho on charges of drug trafficking and money laundering. The operative and several of his associates remain fugitives.

Source: Infobae