Authorities detain “El Tanque” in Zapopan
Original reporting: El Imparcial
What happened
Iván Cazarín Molina was detained in Zapopan during a joint operation, with authorities alleging links to CJNG and multiple criminal investigations.
Reporting and context
Authorities detain “El Tanque” in Zapopan amid investigations linked to CJNG
Mexican authorities detained Iván Cazarín Molina, alias “El Tanque,” on October 5 in Zapopan, Jalisco, during a joint operation, according to El Imparcial. Omar García Harfuch, head of Mexico’s Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC), described Cazarín as an alleged regional operator of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and as someone close to Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias “El Mencho.” Those are allegations reported by authorities and the source, not a judicial finding.
El Imparcial reported that the operation involved the Defense Secretariat, the National Guard, the SSPC, the National Intelligence Center, the Attorney General’s Office and the Criminal Investigation Agency. Authorities said the investigation links Cazarín to alleged homicide, extortion, unlawful deprivation of liberty, fuel theft, money laundering and drug trafficking. During the operation, officials seized a vehicle, a firearm and several doses of drugs, and placed him at the disposal of the Organized Crime Specialized Prosecutor’s Office, which must determine his legal status.
The source said Cazarín, 42, was identified in investigations as a regional operator with activity in Veracruz, Oaxaca, Tabasco and Puebla. It also reported that investigators associate him with Juan Carlos Valencia González, known as “El 03” or “El Bimbo,” and with an alleged 2015 attack on an Army helicopter in Jalisco. The article further cited reporting that the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Cazarín in September 2024 over alleged CJNG ties, identifying him as a leader of a network involving eight people and 26 companies; those claims remain part of the reported investigative record.