El Tanque detained in Zapopan
Original reporting: El Imparcial
What happened
Iván Cazarín Molina, identified by Mexican authorities as an alleged CJNG regional operator, was detained in Zapopan and sent to FEMDO for a legal-status determination.
Reporting and context
El Tanque detained in Zapopan, officials say
Iván Cazarín Molina, known as “El Tanque,” was detained in Zapopan, Jalisco, on Oct. 5 and identified by Mexican authorities as an alleged regional operator of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, or CJNG. According to El Imparcial, Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch said Cazarín was linked to operations in Veracruz, Oaxaca, Tabasco and Puebla and would be placed at the disposal of the Special Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime, or FEMDO, which must determine his legal status.
The operation involved the Defense Secretariat, the Security and Citizen Protection Secretariat, the National Guard, the National Intelligence Center, SSPC investigative agents and the FGR’s Criminal Investigation Agency. García Harfuch said authorities located Cazarín through intelligence and investigative work and that he was detained in flagrante. The source said a vehicle, a firearm and unspecified drugs were seized; authorities have not released the quantities or types of drugs.
El Imparcial reported that the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Cazarín in September 2024 and identified him as a high-ranking CJNG member involved in a fuel-theft network and part of the circle around Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, “El Mencho.” Treasury said the sanctioned network generated tens of millions of dollars for the organization, according to the source. The report also said authorities have linked Cazarín to a 2015 attack on an Army helicopter in Jalisco, in which military and then-Federal Police personnel died. Those allegations remain claims cited by authorities and must be addressed through the relevant prosecutorial and judicial proceedings.
Original publication: https://www.elimparcial.com/mexico/2026/10/06/cae-el-tanque-operador-regional-del-cjng-senalado-como-parte-del-circulo-cercano-de-el-mencho-y-con-actividades-en-cuatro-estados-de-mexico