Alleged Los Cromos leader arrested in Guadalajara

Reporting and context

Iván Sánchez Santiago, known as “El Cromo,” was arrested in Guadalajara, Jalisco, in an operation involving naval intelligence and Mexico's National Intelligence Center. According to Luces del Siglo, federal authorities identified him as an alleged leader of Los Cromos, a group they link to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).

The report describes an alleged network of extortion, drug and weapons trafficking, kidnapping and migrant smuggling centered on Juchitán and neighboring municipalities in Oaxaca's Isthmus of Tehuantepec. Routes linking the Pacific and Gulf ports, Chiapas and Veracruz made the region strategically important to the group's activities, the outlet reported.

Intelligence records cited by Luces del Siglo described two aggravated-homicide arrest warrants involving three victims, plus a third warrant for the same offense concerning a 2020 case. Authorities also linked the organization to the killing of a four-year-old girl in Juchitán, without specifying Sánchez Santiago's individual involvement.

Investigators alleged that Los Cromos obtained political and police protection. The report connects those investigations to the arrests of Juchitán Mayor Miguel Sánchez Altamirano, known as “Quetu,” and former municipal security commissioner John Keny Moreno Segura.

Federal investigations disclosed in September alleged that the mayor provided access to municipal C2 surveillance cameras and information on security-force movements. He was also accused of providing political and financial cover, facilitating extortion and migrant-smuggling safe houses, and participating in weapons purchases.

Moreno Segura was arrested on September 24. On October 1, state prosecutors secured a ruling allowing criminal proceedings against him over alleged offenses against investigations and state security, according to the report.

The article also identifies Carlos Alberto de la Paz López, known as “La Parka,” as an alleged operator in local drug dealing, extortion and killings. Security Cabinet information cited by the outlet described the group's use of mototaxi networks to extort migrants and mobilize people to demand detainees' release.

The broader regional crackdown extended beyond Los Cromos. On November 19, 2025, Oaxaca prosecutors reported 12 priority arrests and at least 25 searches under Operation Sable. By September 28, 2026, prosecutor Bernardo Rodríguez Alamilla reported more than 250 arrests across the regional operation; that total did not refer exclusively to alleged Los Cromos members.

Following the mayor's September 23 arrest, roadblocks involving mototaxis and burning tires disrupted access to Juchitán for about two hours, Luces del Siglo reported.

Read the original report at Luces del Siglo.