Alleged CJNG operator arrested in Zapopan
Original reporting: El Financiero
What happened
El Financiero reported that Iván N, alias El Tanque, was arrested in Zapopan in a joint operation and is alleged by authorities to have operated for the CJNG in four states.
Reporting and context
Iván “N,” alias “El Tanque,” was arrested in Zapopan, Jalisco, on Oct. 5 in a joint operation involving Mexico’s Defense Secretariat, the Security and Citizen Protection Secretariat and the National Guard, according to El Financiero. Omar García Harfuch, the federal security secretary, described him as an alleged regional operator of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).
El Financiero reported that special forces, the SSPC Operations Group, the National Intelligence Center and investigative agents from the SSPC and the Attorney General’s Office participated in locating him. Authorities said he was detained in flagrante and seized a vehicle, a firearm and various drugs.
The source said investigations link El Tanque to activity in Veracruz, Oaxaca, Tabasco and Puebla, including alleged homicide, extortion, unlawful deprivation of liberty, fuel theft, money laundering and drug trafficking. Authorities also allege that he participated in the 2015 attack on a Mexican Army helicopter in Jalisco, in which military and federal police personnel were killed.
According to El Financiero, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned him in September 2024 for alleged CJNG ties and identified him as part of the close circle of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias “El Mencho.” The report also said he allegedly built a network for stealing, storing and selling fuel, including through front men and gas stations.
El Tanque was to be placed at the disposal of the Special Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime, where authorities will determine his legal situation.