El Tanque arrested in Zapopan
Original reporting: El País México
What happened
Iván Cazarín Molina, known as El Tanque, was arrested in Zapopan after authorities tracked him to a residence, according to El País México.
Reporting and context
Iván Cazarín Molina, known as “El Tanque,” was arrested at a home in Zapopan after authorities tracked him to a 2025 Mercedes-Benz G-Class, according to El País México. The report describes Cazarín as an alleged CJNG operator with a long record of accusations involving fuel theft and smuggling, weapons and drug trafficking, vehicle theft, extortion and the alleged co-option of authorities.
According to El País México, Cazarín was arrested in 2015 in connection with a 2015 military helicopter attack in Jalisco and was later prosecuted for allegedly carrying a firearm and ammunition reserved for the Army. A 2021 National Guard report cited by the newspaper said he left a federal prison in Jalisco on Sept. 3, 2016, after being held in an organized-crime case. The newspaper reported that federal sources said the investigation was reactivated as authorities documented the rise of La Barredora, a Tabasco criminal group that those sources describe as linked to the CJNG.
El País México reported that the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned Cazarín, his family and a network of 26 companies in 2024 over alleged fuel-smuggling and money-laundering activities. The newspaper also described alleged ties involving networks in Veracruz, Puebla, Oaxaca, Tabasco and the Guadalajara metropolitan area. Cazarín was placed at the disposal of the organized-crime prosecutor’s office, where authorities will determine his legal status.